Escape
by Santoryuu3
Summary: Luffy and the Straw Hats have been captured by Marines! What can they do when separated, weaponless, and surrounded by marines ten-fold? Rated for language. Features LuNa and a hint of ZoRobin. UPDATE: Chapter 11: Completion. Final Chapter. The crew's experience on the revival of their captain, plus the confessions between a captain and his navigator.
1. Escape

**Author's Note:  
This story takes place directly after the Thriller Bark arc and right before the Shabaody Archipelago arc, before the crew meets Duval and the Flying Fish Raiders. I just want to clarify all that, because I kind of get a lot of questions about it.  
I will accept all criticism with an open hand, however, all non-LuNa fans, I would appreciate you not focus on that and more on the actual writing skills.**

**This chapter was last updated Saturday, July 21, 2012.**

**Warning:**

**This piece of writing includes language.**

Chapter 1 - Escape

Nami was surprised to feel the salty tears on her cheeks. She touched her face to her shoulder and wiped them away, the liquid staining the dirty and ripped sleeve of her favorite T-shirt. The chains on her wrists restricted her movements, clanking loudly. The sound reminded her painfully of her situation; pressure built up behind her eyes again and a lump formed in her throat. She bit her lip, refusing to shed any more tears. She promised herself to shed no more through this ordeal.

She looked up, but her cell was empty. She knew it would be. It always had been. For the past week, she had only herself for company. The marines gave her little food, even when she batted her eyes at them in a way that would have made Sanji bleed to death via nosebleed.

Sanji. Even she would accept his perverted stares if it only meant she could see a familiar face. She hadn't seen any of her crew since they had been ambushed in the night. Zoro had been on watch, but he had shirked his duties and fallen asleep. That bastard. The marines had crept aboard, cuffing the entire Straw Hat crew before they even had a chance to fully awaken.

Chopper, Robin and Luffy were taken away, their Devil Fruit powers restrained by sea prism stone. Brook had been brought along as well, though he only feigned a random dead skeleton. Zoro and Sanji, the second and third most powerful members of the crew, were wrapped in chains from head to toe. Zoro's katanas had been confiscated, along with her Climatact, Brook's violin and staff, Sanji's special shoes, Franky's cola, and Usopp's slingshot.

Franky, Usopp, and Nami were imprisoned together, put in the brig on a giant marine warship. After two days, they had been separated, and Nami was left alone. Four days ago, Nami had been moved from her cell onto dry land. She had been blindfolded, so she had no idea where she was.

She shook her head, refusing to remember. She instead recalled the joyous days before. Zoro and Sanji got into a fight again, the crew egging them on, only Nami and Robin standing watch, laughing. Franky and Usopp invented a cannon that could safely shoot crew members to enemy ships without Luffy's Gomu Gomu power. Chopper created fake blood for Sanji's perverted nosebleeds. Nami finished a large portion of her world map not one month ago. She hoped those marines hadn't ruined it.

Marching boots caused Nami to look to the door of her cell, her filthy hair draped over her face. Four columns of marines marched past, their faces hard. Nami watched them for a long time. Many men were lined up; Nami counted thirty in the line closest to her, but she lost count soon after. She was about to turn away and drown out the sound of the hypnotic footsteps, when the familiar slap-slap of sandals was joined in the melody.

Nami knew those footsteps. She jerked her head up again. The movement made her dizzy; lack of food and nutrients made her weak. Her body had become accustomed to Sanji's excellent, nutrient-packed meals.

A break in the marines revealed sandaled feet, covered in dirt and blood. Her gaze moved upward. Ripped blue shorts rippled with the movement of long legs. A sleeveless red vest rested loosely on wide shoulders. Hands chained by sea prism stone were wrapped behind the back. Raven hair shifted slightly over the white blindfold, which barely masked the small scar under the left eye.

"Luffy," Nami rasped, trying to catch his attention. Her voice cracked from lack of use, so she cleared her throat quickly and tried again. "Luffy!"

He stopped walking, causing a holdup in the line of marines. "Get moving, pirate," one of the men growled, poking his gun into Luffy's back.

Luffy didn't move. His head turned slightly, toward Nami. "Luffy!" she said again.

"Shut up!" The marine with his gun in Luffy's back suddenly turned on her, and aimed his gun at her chest. She inhaled sharply, shrinking away as she watched the trigger being pulled.

The gun went off. Nami flinched, squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the bullet to enter her body. It never did. Trembling, she opened her eyes to see what had gone wrong. She gasped.

A fresh wound in Luffy's shoulder dripped blood on the hard stone floor, running down his arm. He staggered slightly, unused to being shot by bullets and having them actually pierce him. His back was turned to her; slashes through his vest revealed lines of scars, some scabbed, others still pink and oozing. The sight made Nami sick to her stomach. She almost turned away, but she forced herself to stay strong.

Luffy, as if sensing her gaze on him, turned his head, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Nami, are you okay?"

"Y-yes," Nami stammered, moving herself into a more comfortable position. Her chains clanked loudly.

Luffy's smile vanished a little at the sound. "I'm glad," he said. "Do you know where the others are?"

Nami shook her head, then remembered that he was blindfolded. "No. I was with Franky and Usopp for a while, but – "

Nami was cut off by the entrance of a large-boned man. Luffy didn't move, but Nami could see the muscles in his jaw tense. "Grandpa."

Vice-Admiral Garp stared down at his grandson, his eyes unreadable. "What's the hold-up?"

"Sir! The pirate noticed that his subordinate was near, and refused to move without speaking with her!"

Nami grit her teeth. _Subordinate, my ass,_ she thought.

Garp stared at Nami. She stared back daggers. Something in his gaze softened, just a fraction of a degree. It was like they had not had a friendly conversation back on Water 7 all those months ago, and he was meeting her for the first time. "Keep moving. Don't stop again." Did he possibly understand the relationship between friends? Is that why he spoke quieter? Nami didn't try to understand the Vice Admiral.

"Yes, sir!"

Four marines grasped Luffy by the arm and tried to haul him away. He didn't budge, just kept staring in her direction.

"Walk," said Garp, his voice hardening again dangerously.

Luffy ignored his grandfather. Instead, he smiled a very cheerful smile. "I'm sorry in advance if you get hurt, Nami," he said.

Nami knew that smile. It was the smile he used when he was about to do something extremely stupid. She could almost see his eyes sparkling with a new-found thrill. She scrambled back to the farthest corner of her cell, her chains chafing her wrists. When she stopped moving, and the air settled back into its quiet stupor, Luffy made his move.

He tensed his legs. Several marines noticed, and moved forward to intercept him. Luffy somehow evaded them easily and ran up the wall, about half way up. He pushed off, doing a back flip into mid air. He pulled his ankles between his bound hands so they were in front of him. Luffy landed lightly on the floor, his head bowed.

While the marines were still in shock, Luffy reached up and began to untie the blindfold around his eyes.

"Stop!" Garp yelled, raising his fist. But he was too late.

The cloth floated to the floor. Luffy slowly stood up, the smile on his face gone as he grew serious. "Alright, you filthy bastards! Get ready for some serious ass-kicking!"

Something in the air rippled. Nami felt an incredible weight pressing down on her mind. The cell began to flow and bend like water, giving her a headache. Her insides began to contract and expand rapidly. She gasped and slid to the right, her head resting on a wall. The marines collapsed on top of one another, falling all over themselves. The feeling faded as quickly as it had come, and Nami returned to normal. She gasped, feeling as if she had been deprived of air, and now she could suddenly breathe again.

Only Garp was still standing. Granted, he looked a bit shaken, but still able to fight. He raised his fist, bringing it down rapidly toward the Straw Hat captain. Luffy barely avoided the attack, tripping over the body of a marine. Luffy stared around from his position on the floor. "Why'd they fall asleep? Maybe they were tired?" Luffy suddenly remembered that Nami was there, and ran to the cell door. "Nami!" He wrapped still-chained hands around the bars, pressing his face against the metal. His face was a mask of worry. "Are you alright?"

"Behind you!" Was her reply, and Luffy ducked as Garp's fist slammed into the bars right where his head had been. Luffy rolled away, cursing. His grandfather moved forward, chasing Luffy back down the hallway and out of Nami's line of sight.

Nami looked around her frantically, trying to find something to use to at least help her captain. There was a limit to how far she could move from the wall without her chains stopping her, but she could at least kick a rock or something for him to use! She finally noticed a long steel bar poking from the wall near her. She stumbled toward it, wrapping her awkward hands around the cool metal. Something crashed in the corridor as Garp's fist connected with something. Nami froze, holding her breath.

"Phew, that was close!" Luffy's voice echoed. "Lucky that window was there."

Nami released her breath and tugged with all her remaining strength at the pole. She could feel it loosen from its position, and she gave it one last heave. With a menacing screech, the pole came loose from the wall and crashed next to the nauseated navigator. Nami grabbed it in her hands, shoving it as close to the cell door as she could.

"Luffy!" she yelled as loud as she could. "This way!"

A few seconds later, and Luffy's slapping of feet met her ears. Her captain skidded to a halt, his eyes meeting hers. "I only have a few seconds. Grandpa's pissed."

Nami pointed at the pole that lay between them. "Use that!"

Luffy followed her gaze. "Really? Thanks!"

He grabbed it just as Garp came into view, storming down the corridor like the Rocketman sea train on steroids. Luffy raised the pole just in time for it to crash against his grandfather's clenched fist, diverting it into the wall next to him. Garp tried to retaliate, but his fist was completely embedded in the wall and he couldn't pull it free. Luffy took the opportunity to beat the Vice Admiral upside the head with the pole, knocking him unconscious.

Luffy dropped the pole, his chest heaving. He looked up and met his navigator's eyes. "Thanks, Nami."

She nodded, keeping her gaze from the Vice Admiral's prone form. "Are you alright?" she asked Luffy.

He shrugged, holding his chained hands in front of his face. "Could be better. How about you?"

"I'm fine." Nami stood up, her knees weak.

"Where's everyone else?" Luffy asked.

"I'm not sure." Nami shrugged sadly. "I was with Usopp and Franky for about two days after we got captured, but..." She trailed off.

Luffy nodded. "Where's your Climatact?"

"Gone."

Luffy sucked his lips, contemplating the situation. "Alright. Hold on." Luffy moved away and picked up an unconscious marine. "Hey, you," Luffy said, shaking the body. "I know you're awake."

The marine slowly opened his eyes. "What do you want, filthy pirate?" he spat.

"Where's Nami's Climatact? And my hat? If you bastards lay so much as a finger on my hat, I swear you'll all pay."

"I don't know."

"Really? I'll have to ask someone else, then."

"Luffy!" Nami raged. "He's obviously lying!"

Luffy gawked at Nami. "No way! He's lying?"

"You idiot, of course!"

Luffy turned back to the marine. "How dare you lie to me! Where's Nami's staff? And my hat? And where's the rest of my crew?" When the marine didn't answer, Luffy threw him against a wall. The man grunted and slid to the floor, holding his bleeding temple.

"Alright," The marine moaned. "All the Straw Hat weapons were taken to the vault near the captain's quarters! I'm not sure where the skeleton, raccoon-dog, or the other woman is, but the long-nosed guy, the swirly-eyebrow man, and the giant robot are a floor below us! The swordsman is two floors down!"

"Usopp, Sanji, Franky and Zoro are below us. Okay. Where's the key to my shackles?"

"On Garp! Please don't hurt me anymore!"

Luffy grinned. "Thanks, marine-guy!" He punched the marine, knocking him out. Then, he walked to his grandfather, who had slumped directly in front of Nami's cell. She watched Luffy as he began to search Garp, noticing other details she had failed to recognize. His hair was longer, despite being separated for only a few weeks. His skin was scraped up, scabbed, and scarred in numerous places. She would need to mend his clothes. The thought made her slightly warm.

"Yes!" Luffy straightened, holding up a small key. He fit it into the keyhole on his cuffs, and the lock clicked. The sea prism stone shackles clanged loudly as they hit the floor. Luffy began to stretch, flinging his arms up and down the hallway until they were out of sight. They retracted and fell back into place with a snap. "Oh, man, this feels good! I've been wearing those forever!"

"Great, now get me out of here!" Nami demanded.

"Oh, right. Stand back."

Nami did. Luffy threw his arms behind him, as far as they could go. "Gum Gum Bazooka!" His stretched arms retracted and slammed into the cell door. It rattled, but held. Frustrated, Luffy tried again, but it still didn't work. Luffy tried Gear Second. Finally, with the lighting-fast attack, the hinges gave in and the door fell inward.

Nami coughed, waving her hands in front of her face to clear the dust. When the debris cleared, Nami started and fell back a step, because Luffy had silently maneuvered directly in front of her, staring at her intently.

"You look awful," he said.

Nami grit her teeth. She tried to punch him, but her chains slowed her movements, and he dodged easily, a grin pulling at his lips.

"Here." Luffy put his hands on Nami's wrists. She could feel color rising in her cheeks. _He's holding my wrists, which are connected to my hands. He's holding my hands?_ Nami shook her head. _Don't think about that now! Focus on escaping._

Luffy closed his eyes, and suddenly jerked Nami's hands in opposite directions. The cuffs snapped in half, freeing Nami. "Idiot!" This time, Nami didn't have any hindrance, and she easily gave Luffy a nice-sized lump on his head. "What if my hands fell off!" _Then he couldn't hold them again…_

"Sorry, Nami," Luffy moaned. He was up again in a second. "Come on. We need to go get our friends."

**Thank you so much for reading, please review! I'm not sure what's going to be your thoughts, but please let me know how I can make this better!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 2: Deception**


	2. Deception

**Here is Chapter 2! I hope you all enjoy it; please read and review!**

**Chapter last updated: Saturday, July 21, 201**

Chapter 2 - Departing

Nami and Luffy stood in a long corridor in the midst of a pile of fallen marines. They stood facing each other, getting a good long look at the other's predicament. Nami was very self-concious about her clothing, keeping a close eye on her torn shorts and frayed T-shirt. Her shoes had been lost long ago, left somewhere on the ship. Being ambushed in the night didn't leave a lot of time for grabbing your shoes.

"We need to find our nakama," Luffy said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Shouldn't we get our weapons first?" Nami pointed out. "It won't be easy getting out of here without our weapons. And your hat." Who was the infamous Straw Hat Luffy without his straw hat? Not much of anyone, to most people. But to her, Luffy was Luffy, the man who she... _stop._

"I suppose…." Luffy scratched his head, like thinking gave him a headache.

"Come on," Nami sighed, grabbed Luffy's wrist, and stared from left to right, trying to decide which way to go. "Which way is up?"

Luffy raised his hand, pointing a finger toward the ceiling. "Geez, Nami. Did Zoro's directional skills rub off on your or something? Up is that way!"

Nami rolled her eyes, holding back the urge to whack him upside the head. She revised her question. "Which direction is to the top floor?"

"That way." Luffy pointed in the direction his procession had been coming from.

"How do you know?"

"Cause we went down."

"That doesn't make any sense." Nami shrugged.

"Does it have to?"

The navigator sighed. "Come on."

She and Luffy began to run in the direction Luffy had indicated. Both of them were malnourished, but they each were able to run relatively quick. They encountered no guards on the way upstairs, though all the prisoners they passed begged to be freed, some even offering to join the Straw Hat crew as repayment. Neither Luffy nor Nami stopped to heed their pleas.

Finally, Nami and her captain reached the top level, four flights up from where they had started. "Now, which way is the Captain's room?" Nami wondered aloud to herself. She wished she had a map of the place.

"Let's ask for directions," Luffy suggested.

"Yeah, because the marines will definitely tell us where our weapons are," Nami said sarcastically.

"Maybe they're generous people."

"Dumbass!"

Luffy clutched the new bruise on his face. "It was just a suggestion."

Nami opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by running footsteps. Someone yelled, "Straw Hat Luffy has escaped with a crew member! All units are to report to battle stations immediately!"

"Shit!" Luffy grabbed Nami's arm and ran in a random direction, Nami stumbling behind him.

The marine fortress was a labyrinth of twisting hallways and doors leading to more hallways. The insignia of the World Government was painted on the walls, glaring down at the pirates as if daring them to try and escape. The two Straw Hats ran in every direction, desperately trying to avoid being discovered. Both were breathing heavily, and couldn't go on much longer. They stopped momentarily, leaning against a wall.

"This is…just like… G-8…" Nami gasped.

"G-what?" Luffy huffed.

"After we got down from Skypeia, we landed in that Marine Stronghold G-8, remember?"

"Uhm…" Luffy racked his brain. "Oh, yeah, with Fortress-guy!"

"Jonathan."

"Sure… man, I could use some meat right now."

For once, Nami agreed with her captain. Having not had sufficient meals in weeks, food would help their situation. She voiced her thoughts, and Luffy immediately decided to put off the captains quarters for food. That, Nami didn't quite agree with, but there was no changing Luffy's mind once it was made up. As a bonus, he even put off finding his hat, something Nami was sure would have been a first priority, even to meat. But, to a rubber man who hadn't eaten in weeks was a scary sight.

"Alright. To find the kitchen!" Luffy stood up, suddenly full of energy at the thought of food. He and Nami continued their journey though the marine compound, on the lookout for both the kitchen and the weapons vault. Small troops of marines would occasionally engage them, but Luffy easily took care of them, kocking them all to the ground in a single attack.

That got Nami to thinking. _I'm useless without my Climatact, _she thought to herself every time another marine hit the shiny linoleum floor. _Even energy-deprived, Luffy is still dealing with the enemy like nothing!_ She watched her captain dispose of the fourth group. _I need to get stronger._

"Nami!" Luffy's voice interrupted her thoughts. "I think I found the kitchen!"

"Really?" Nami followed Luffy's finger to the sign hanging above a huge pair of swinging double doors to their right. Sure enough, **KITCHEN **was written in big bold letters high above them. "That's great!"

"Let's get the meat!"

"Wait, Luffy! We need a plan. The cooks are probably in there making meals or something."

Too late. Luffy was already flinging the doors open to the kitchen. "Give me food!" he yelled demandingly.

Nami facepalmed. Well, there was no use sneaking around now. She walked to the door and looked over Luffy's shoulder into an empty kitchen. No cooks stood at the ovens. No fires roared in the hearth. No pots sizzled with the aroma of delicious ingredients. The room was completely bare. The only sign someone had been there recently was a platter of half-diced onions lying on the counter, the knife stuck inside one. Nami found this extremely suspicious.

Luffy wasted no time at the opportunity. He bounded into the room and began raiding the refrigerator. "Oh man! These marines sure know how to make a guy happy! Nami! They even got marbled meat! Oh man, I've missed maybe a hundred meals!" He continued to jabber to himself, stuffing his face with meat until he looked like a chipmunk.

Nami avoided the refrigerator and examined the onions. A small pile of perfectly cubed onion sat in a top corner. Two more solid onions rolled on the table, while another was in the midst of being diced, the knife sticking out from the vegetable, the juices still oozing around the blade. Nami wrapped her hand around the hilt and tugged the knife from the onion. She tensed, waiting for some sort of booby trap to be sprung.

Nothing happened. Nami breathed a sigh of relief and stuck the knife into her belt as a temporary weapon. She didn't want to use it, but it was better than nothing. She moved on to the cabinets and began shuffling through the many boxes. Sanji would be impressed; each spice was in alphabetical order.

As she pulled a container of preserved tuna from the cupboard, the door to the kitchen opened again, and a small, hunchbacked man entered the room. He wore the traditional marine uniform, only a cook's apron was tied around his neck and waist. A tall chef's hat sat proudly atop his head. Although it wasn't as big as Chef Zef's it was still very tall. He didn't appear to notice the intruders until he had taken off his hat, placing it by the door, revealing his graying hair. He turned to see a frozen Nami, her hand still halfway into the cabinet. "Hey, girl! Please don't touch that! Do you know how hard it is for a little man like me to reach up there! All the other cooks are on leave so it's just me feeding four thousand men here!"

"Oh, sir!" Nami jerked her hand from the shelf, folding her fingers behind her back at attention. _What's this man's game? _She wondered. _Doesn't he know we're pirates?_

"And you sir!" the man addressed Luffy, who was chugging a large gallon of water, small drops sliding messily down his chin. "Clean yourself up! You're a grown man, not a two year old. If you are my new helpers, I will then require help!"

Luffy put down the bottle and wiped his hand across his mouth. "Listen, old guy…"

"You will address me and Chef Shawn, young man." The old man said, wagging his finger like a grandfather might berate a child. Oh. Maybe that wasn't the best comparison at the moment.

"Right, old chef guy. Do you have any more meat?"

"What kind of a question is that! Do we have meat? Of course I do! I have – " Chef Shawn noticed the open refrigerator and its empty shelves. "By jove, boy! Did you eat all the meat? The carefully organized meat?"

"Sure did, old chef guy."

Nami rolled her eyes. _I don't know how, but C__hef Shawn must think we're marines, _she reasoned, watching the chef continue to verbally batter Luffy. _Maybe if we play along, he can get us food and directions to the captain's quarters!_

"Excuse me, Chef Shawn," Nami said sweetly.

The old man turned. "What?" he noticed the tuna on the counter. "Gah! My tuna! Put it back exactly where you found it! Or I'll have to reorganize the entire kitchen cabinets! Every single one! Do you have any idea how long that takes?"

"Yes, sir!" Nami quickly put the tuna back into the cupboard, turning the can so the brand label could be seen clearly from every angle. "Chef Shawn, is there any way you could whip something up for the captain of this place? Genzo over there – " Nami pointed to Luffy, using the name of the mayor of her hometown, Cocoyashi Village. She had a sudden urge to see them again, but it would have to wait. "—and I are new here and we would like to meet our boss. We need the meal as an excuse to see him."

"What's your name, girl?" Chef Shawn cocked his head.

"Nojiko, sir." Nami fingered the golden bracelet resting on her wrist.

"Miss Nojiko, I am sorry, but I have just come from delivering Mr. Ramius-sama his lunch. You will have to wait until dinner."

"Oh, but sir! We would like to meet him now!"

"Nami, what are you doing?" Luffy asked.

"Shut up, Genzo!" Nami told him sharply. She didn't like using that tone with him, but it was imperitive that his real name not be revealed, nor hers. This man most likely knew that Straw Hat Luffy and a crewmate were running rampant around the stronghold. If he found out they were standing in front of him, he would sound the alarm, and the whole plan would be ruined.

"Nami?" Chef Shawn asked suspiciously.

"That's my nickname," Nami improvised. "Genzo tends to have a sort of memory lapse and he thinks he's someone else a lot of the time."

"I see." Something in his eyes made Nami believe he didn't quite believe her story. "Well, Nojiko-chan, if you want to see Captain Ramius-sama so badly, he's two floors up, take a left, right, left again, left, right, right and another left. It's the second door on the right."

"Oh, thank you sir, Chef Shawn sir!" Nami crossed to Luffy and grabbed his wrist. "Come on, Genzo," she said, and dragged him out the door.

"Wait! My meat!"

**XXX**

The doors swung shut behind them with a soft _huff_. Chef Shawn cracked a small smile and chuckled as he crossed crossed to a small drawer, where he pulled out a small cigarette and lighter. He lit the butt of the cigarette and took a long puff. His entire demeanor changed from his overreacting orderly marine self to his preferred cunning and sharp personality.

"Pirates, huh?" he said to himself. "Had a feeling they'd show up here eventually." He looked at the board of recipes he kept above the sink. The only WANTED poster he kept there was that of the smiling Monkey D. Luffy, the bounty of 300,000,000 belis. "Achieve your dream, kid," he said. "I'll see you again real soon."

As he rolled up his sleeves to begin washing the dishes, the tattoo of the Revolutionaries was momentarily revealed on his arm before being immersed in bubbles.

**Well, I hope you guys know the drill; please read and review!**

**As one of those facts that no one really cares about, Chef Shawn has multiple personalities. But he can decide which one to have at any given moment. When he's with the marines, he's an OCD maniac. By himself, he's this cool and collected guy. Stay tuned to find out more!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 3 - Darkness**


	3. Darkness

**Sorry for the wait, everyone! Exams have been going on lately and I haven't had much time at all to write anything! Please forgive me! I know it's not the best I can do at the moment, but I did my best, so let's see what you think. R&R**

Chapter 3 - Darkness

Luffy

Nami and Luffy raced side by side, their feet hitting the ground in unison. He couldn't remember old chef guy's directions for the life of him, but luckily, Nami's memory was clean as a dime and led them in the right direction. Although she did lose count on turns once, and they had to turn around once or twice, right into another group of marines. She blamed it on her lack of a compass.

_These guys are persistent,_ Luffy thought as he quickly dealt with them. _Can't they see I just wanna leave and go on more adventures?_

He could see from the corner of his eye, Nami watching him, her gaze unreadable. He didn't quite understand why, but he suddenly wanted to hug her. The look in her eyes was... mah, he couldn't find the right word for it. Luffy had a pounding headache as it was, and he didn't want to burden myself with any more thoughts than need be.

"Gaah!" The last marine collapsed on the floor, Luffy's fist buried in his stomach.

His arm snapped back into place. "Alright, Nami! Which way next?"

Nami looked to the left. "This way!"

They continued running. There were still no signs of the stairs old chef guy had mentioned. That was the only thing Luffy remembered… go up. Two floors, he thought it was. Ow… head hurts. Luffy didn't want to think about anything except captain-guy's room. That would be where all the crew's stuff is. And his hat! If those bastards even thought about laying a finger on his hat, he was going to bring this entire place to the ground.

Something hit the floor behind Luffy, and let out a small squeal. He skidded to a stop, turning. He was stunned to see Nami sitting on the floor, clutching her ankle with trembling fingers. Her face was twisted, biting her lip, trying not to cry.

"Nami! Are you alright?" Luffy knelt beside his navigator, staring intently at her.

Nami's face turned red. "I-I'm okay, just tripped. Help me up."

He was skeptical, but gripped her hand and pulled her to her feet. She seemed fine, though her hands were shaking, so they continued on. However, after one step, she was on the floor again, her fingers wrapped tightly around the same ankle. She inhaled sharply, refusing to cry out. Luffy admired her for that, just a little. But then again, she was always a very strong woman. Since when did he have those thoughts?

"You're not okay, are you?" Luffy said, putting a hand on her injured ankle. Luffy was the farthest thing from doctor possible, but even he could tell something was wrong. "It's swollen."

"I told you, I'm fine!"

Luffy sighed and made his decision. He maneuvered his position a bit, and put one hand behind Nami's back, and the other arm under her knees, picking her up and holding her tight against his chest. A sharp pain exploded in his chest as he suddenly remembered the bullet he had taken for her. He ignored it. "You'll have to direct me where we're going, 'cause I have no idea."

Nami beat her fist against the side of Luffy's head. It didn't hurt, but it was still painful. "Put me down right now!" she ordered.

"No! Captain's order: lead me to the vault!"

Nami stopped struggling. Luffy could feel her body relax slightly. She rested her head on his shoulder, the wounded one. "Keep going straight until I say stop."

"Okay!" Luffy ran forward, determination pounding in his heart so loud and so fast, he was positive Nami could hear it.

**XXX**

Nami

Nami was sure Luffy would hear the violent pounding of her heart as she directed him through the marine stronghold. She wrapped her arm around his back, gripping hard to the ripped fabric of his bloodstained signature red vest. If she held still, her fingers would slide along scrapes and cuts along his shoulder blades. The feeling sent shivers down her back. Every time she touched one, Luffy would rotate his shoulders uncomfortably, and she tried to stop touching them. However, her fingers found the bullet wound in his left shoulder, and she tried hard not to look at it.

"Take a left here!"

Luffy swung to the right.

"No, other left!"

She had tripped on a patch of water some careless janitor had left behind and twisted her ankle. Her foot throbbed painfully. It was an embarrassing scene, and she wished Chopper was with her, to take care of Luffy first of course, because a bullet is worse than a twisted ankle. But quite frankly, Luffy's solution to the problem was a valid one. It was the one Sanji would have suggested. Maybe the pervert was rubbing off on him.

Nami rested her head lightly on Luffy's shoulder for most of the run, trying to inflict the least amount of pain possible. If she tuned out the rhythmic slap-slap of Luffy's sandals, she could faintly hear the pounding of his heart. For some reason, that sound comforted her. When you look at a person, you don't immediately look at their chest to see their heart, the source of their life. Sometimes she wondered if people even had a heart. It was comforting to know her captain had one, in more ways than a beating muscle in his chest. She wanted to fall asleep, right there, but she forced herself to remain awake. This idiot would get lost without her.

"Stop!"

Luffy skidded to a halt, his sandals sliding on the slick floor. "What?"

"This is it. This is the room. Now put me down!"

Luffy lowered the arm hooked under her legs and lowered her slowly to the ground. She kept one hand on his shoulder for support, but was otherwise normal – well, as normal as you could get after not being fed for a week, on top of a twisted ankle. Luffy looked up. The two pirates stood side by side, staring at the ornate double doors set into the wall. A name plate resting above them read, _Captain Ramius, 56th Division._

"This is it," Nami said.

Luffy reached for the gold doorknob. He turned it, and the door clicked. He pushed his way into the room, Nami stumbling along behind him.

The captain's room was fairly large, though still not as spacious as the kitchen. Flags displaying the insignia of the World Government hung from the walls. Various pieces of furniture were scattered around the room: chairs, tables, couches, the entire lot. Another small door made of a thick metal stood against the back wall, a small dial in the place a knob would be. However, the most noticeable thing in the room was the tall man sitting at his desk, writing something on a paper. An half-eaten plate of steamed vegetables and pasta sat by his hand.

He looked up as the pirates entered the room. The man had a large dark goatee covering his face. Dark brown hair peeked through the marine cap he wore on his head. The coat of a Marine Captain hung over the back of his chair, the word _Justice_ emblazoned upon it. His eyes were a light blue color, but they were the hard blue of a sky just before a storm. His hand was poised in a writing position, but it didn't move as Captain Ramius eyed them.

"Monkey D. Luffy," He said after a long pause. "And Cat Burglar Nami."

Nami reached for the knife tucked to her belt. "Please, sir, we only want the combination to the weapons vault and we won't harm you!"

"Hey, captain-guy!" Luffy stepped forward. "Where's my hat? I'll kick your ass if you don't talk!"

Captain Ramius raised his eyebrows and slowly lowered his pen to the table. He rested his elbows on the surface, interlacing his fingers together. "You want your weapons back. Your weapons back."

Nami resisted the urge to giggle. Captain Ramius had spoken normally, his voice low and firm. However, his second sentence almost sounded like an echo of the first, softer and slowly fading away by the last word.

"That's right!"

"Shut up, Luffy," Nami shushed him. "Let me be the diplomat here."

"What's a diplomat?"

Nami ignored him and stepped forward, taking her hand from Luffy's shoulder and standing up straight. She refused to acknowledge the sudden wave of pain from her ankle. "Captain Ramius," she said, as if she had rehearsed it. "Our captain has a three hundred million bounty on his head. Unless you want your men to be utterly defeated, and your stronghold completely razed to the ground, please hand us the combination to the vault behind us."

Nami was certain the door with the dial knob was the safe. A thief's intuition, she supposed. _And maybe he even keeps some gold in there! _She thought maliciously to herself.

"You want your weapons back Your weapons back." Captain Ramius repeated.

Nami was losing her patience. "Yes. The combination please."

"You don't have to keep repeating yourself. Repeating yourself." Captain Ramius blinked slowly. Nami scoffed at the irony. "I understand you want your weapons back. Your weapons back. When will you learn you can't always get what you want? Not what you want?"

Luffy snapped. He stepped forward, despite Nami's attempts to stop him, though she herself was ready to sock the captain as well. Luffy's voice was filled with anger. "Listen here, captain-guy! I'm the man who's gonna be King of the Pirates! And nothing you say will change my mind! I _will_ be king!"

Captain Ramius said nothing as he slowly stood up. "Straw Hat, this world is too vast to conquer. Vast to conquer. What makes you different from all the other pirates who I've captured and executed? Captured and executed?"

"I have ambition." Luffy's retort was short, hard, and seething with anger.

Captain Ramius chuckled. "Ambition?"

Nami suddenly had a wonderful, crazy, dangerous, stupid, and risky idea. It would require Luffy being a distraction, but he didn't appear to notice her, already following through with her plan without even knowing. His gaze was fixed on the captain's, and the captain's on his. She slowly backed away from the two men and inched her way to the locked vault.

"Ambition?" Captain Ramius was laughing aloud by now.

"That's right, ambition! I'll use that to rescue my crew, and escape from this fortress!"

Nami had reached the door. She knelt by the dial and held her ear to the cold metal. Putting her lock-picking skills to the test, she closed her eyes and turned the dial, listening for the telltale sound of a click inside the mechanism. Meanwhile, the two men were still going back and forth, talking about the Grand Line, the New World, Gold Roger, and other such things Nami didn't need to concern herself with at present time. Though she was concerned as to why Captain Ramius had not raised the alarm. Two pirates infiltrating his office, and no sign of a single marine!

The first click. Nami's heart raced, her body temperature rising.

Time slowed; Nami's hands grew slick with sweat. Her ankle throbbed harder.

The second click. She bit her lip, casting a quick glance back at the men. Luffy was nearing the breaking point. His voice rose in volume with every word, but Captain Ramius wasn't backing down either. It wouldn't be long until one of them attacked.

The third click. Yes!

The door swung inward on silent hinges. Despite the quiet, Captain Ramius chose that precise moment to turn his head in the direction of the vault. His eyes found the opening door, and Nami kneeling on the ground, massaging her aching foot.

"Cat Burglar! Burglar! How dare you! How dare you!"

"Hey, captain-guy! Listen when I'm talking to you!" Luffy threw back his arm. "Gomu gomu no… pistol!"

Captain Ramius raised his hand and caught Luffy's fist just before it was to connect to his face. "Straw Hat. You're not a match for me. Not a match for me."

Nami scrambled into the vault, watching the light slowly spread among its contents. "Luffy! Keep him busy!"

"Right!" Luffy yelled, and began to attack the captain, knocking him back into the couch resting right in front of his desk.

Nami's writhing had knocked the three katana to the floor, the Wado Ichimonji conking her on the head. "Ow…" She had sat on a pair black shoes. Her hand struck an eerie chord on a light expanded. It sparkled off the two cans of cola lying haphazard on the floor. It glinted off the light blue of a long rod with three balls attached to it. Hanging from the tip of the blue rod was a weathered hat made of straw, a red cloth tied around the brim. That was enough convincing of her to know she had stuck gold. All the Straw Hat weapons, including Luffy's hat, were strewn all around her.

"Luffy! I found them! Luffy!"

The light dimmed. It moved into a tiny sliver, just barely enough to see by. "Luffy?" Nami turned around, just in time to see the door of the vault swing shut. Her last thought before the navigator was plunged into total darkness, was one hoping Luffy would notice her absence.

Nami had been locked inside the weapons vault with no light to see by, no way of communication, and no idea how to get free.

**A lot of this chapter was completely spontaneous, so I'm not exactly sure how it'll look to you. I appreciate any help/support you can give me, and I hope you'll forgive me for not making it a bit longer. :)**

**Coming Up: Chapter 4 - Lightning**


	4. Lightning

**Well, here is the long-awaited chapter four! I promised a reader to include a very – heartfelt – scene in this chapter, and I hope it's to his/her liking! I'm sorry it's so long; I got carried away in its awesomeness. Hehe…**

**Chapter Updated: Sunday, July 22, 2012**

Chapter 4 - Lightning

Nami

The darkness of the locked vault was suffocating. The silence pressed down on her ears, as she realized the vault must be soundproof. She had only been imprisoned for about thirty seconds and she was already beginning to tremble. Her breath came in short gasps. Never had she actually been trapped in total darkness before, except maybe when Arlong had locked her in her room in Arlong Park when she was still very young.

The memory made her take a deep breath. She wasn't that timid eight year old girl anymore. She had survived to see Arlong fall, rescued a princess and her country, seen the Sky Island of Skypeia, rescued a friend from the clutches of the World Government, and defeated a giant zombie, all with the help of her friends, of course. If she could survive all those adventures, there was no way she'd be done in by just a little darkness.

This vault had no ventilation. So there was a limited amount of air inside. Nami suspected she had about thirty minutes before the oxygen ran out. Of all her weather abilities, she could not make oxygen.

Nami steeled herself and began shuffling around. She jammed her fingers against a box of some sort. She kicked something that rattled loudly. She ran her hands across everything she could until she recognized the cool steel of her Climatact. She picked it up and stood, gripping it tightly. Something soft fell across her foot. She squealed, taking a step back.

"Cool Ball," she said, and a small sphere of blue light appeared in the air, floating to the very top of the vault. It cast an eerie blue glow around the contents of the vault, and shadows danced around lightly. The light wasn't enough, however, so she released another Cool Ball. She didn't want a cloud to form, at least, not yet. Thunder Tempo would be a last resort.

As the second ball joined the first, the light's diameter increased, and Nami could see enough to at least to not trip over anything. She realized the object that had floated across her foot was only Luffy's hat. She knelt, picking it up and placing it lightly atop her head. She had kicked Zoro's katanas. The black blade, Shuusui lay at her feet, partly out of its sheath. She knelt slowly and wrapped her hand around the hilt.

The sword was heavy; she could barely lift it. _Zoro's a superhuman monster to be able to lift this thing,_ she thought. But the heavier the blade, the quicker it to be taken by gravity, therefore the faster it falls, plus the added momentum from her strength. If she could strike the door with the sword, the sharp blade might be able to slice it open.

She dragged the blade toward the door. It screeched across the hard metal floor with an ear-shattering hiss. _What Zoro doesn't know won't hurt him._

Nami reached the door. She hefted the large sword above her head, gripping the hilt until her knuckles turned white. With a yell, she brought the sword down against the hard metal. Shuusui clashed with the door, embedding itself into the thick metal. It stopped cutting a third of the way down, sticking out of the door like a black thorn.

No matter how hard Nami tugged at the blade, it refused to be pulled out. Nami soon gave up. She moved backward and found Sanji's shoes. She slipped her bare feet into them. They were several sizes too large, but as long as they worked, Nami didn't really care.

She kicked at the door. The impact jarred her foot, and a large ringing sound like a tolling bell echoed around her. Her hands flew to her ears; her eardrums buzzed.

_Okay, that won't work either…_

She couldn't do anything with the cola bottles; Franky would need those. Nami wasn't a musician, so she couldn't play Brook's violin even if she wanted to. She had no idea which of Usopp's little spheres did what, and she didn't want to accidentally release a toxic gas. Both Zoro's katana and Sanji's shoes had proved useless, at least, to an inexperienced person without that fighting style. The original owners of all the weapons would have no problem escaping.

That left Nami's own weapon, the Climatact. Thunder Tempo would be her only option. The door was constructed of steel, but after a quick examination, Nami concluded it was layered with a mixture of copper and aluminum, both powerful conductors of electricity. If she shocked the locking mechanism, it might just malfunction and spring open. Of course, the electrical current would travel through the entire vault, so Nami was sure to get a rough shock. She was ready to take that risk, however.

She took the Climatact in her hand. "Heat Ball," she commanded, and several red spheres of heat emerged from the blue tube and floated to the ceiling. "Cool Ball," she added, and blue spheres rose to the ceiling. As the temperature in the vault waned, Nami realized the two Cool Balls floating near the ceiling had caused the temperature to drop. Now that the heat balls joined with them, the air gradually became warmer.

Before long, the light had faded a little, and a large dark cloud floated above her head. Nami braced herself. "Forecast calls for lightning," she whispered, and launched a crackling gold sphere of lightning into the cloud.

The cloud crackled. Shadows danced wildly throughout the entire room. A yellow bolt lashed out and connected with the door. The entire vault crackled as the current moved throughout its structure.

Nami screamed as the lightning shocked through her body, turning her skin inside out. Her nerves erupted into flame, her eyes melting inside her head. Her entire body burned and bubbled, her hair standing on end.

The sensations only lasted a second, but the pain was still there when the light faded, and the cloud dispersed. Nami collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. She pressed her hands to her eyes. They were not puddles of goo on her face. Her skin was right-side out. Her body had returned to normal.

_Did it work?_

**XXX**_  
_

Luffy_  
_

Luffy attacked Captain Ramius, his eyes blazing with fury. This guy had dared to insult him, and he was determined to kick his ass. He hadn't noticed Nami creeping around them. All Luffy was concerned about was putting this marine-guy in his place. Both men refused to move, their furious gazes locked on one another.

Suddenly, Captain Ramius turned his head, and Luffy followed his gaze.

Nami was kneeling at the base of the big door, rubbing her fingers over the ankle she had messed up. Luffy was concerned. If Nami kept walking with that ankle, he had no idea what would happen, but he at least knew it wouldn't be good.

"Cat Burglar! How dare you! How dare you!" Captain Ramius yelled.

Luffy had to draw his attention away from Nami. She wouldn't be able to do much against him. "Hey, captain-guy! Listen when I'm talking to you!" Luffy threw back his arm. "Gomu gomu no… pistol!"

Captain-guy raised his hand and easily caught his punch just before it connected. His gaze left Nami and returned to the Straw Hat captain. "Straw Hat. You're not a match for me. Not a match for me."

"Luffy! Keep him busy!" Nami yelled. Luffy could see from the corner of his eye his navigator crawling awkwardly into the safe. Nami knew what she was doing, so Luffy decided to obey his navigator, but only this once.

"Right," Luffy yelled, and attacked the captain, knocking him back into the couch resting in front of his desk. They struggled there for a few seconds, both trying desperately to remain on top of the other and therefore keep the advantage.

However, Captain Ramius socked Luffy in the jaw, and he flew backward into the wall, smashing a chair. The captain launched himself at the desk, grabbing the transponder snail.

"Mayday! Mayday! Straw Hat Luffy has invaded my office! In my office! Requesting backup immediately! Immediately!"

"Oh no you don't!" Luffy sprang up and ran at the captain.

"Luffy! I found them! Luffy!"

Luffy stopped and looked toward the vault, a smile beginning to spread across his face. "Nami! That's – " His smile faded as he watched the vault door slam shut across his navigator's face. "Nami!"

He ran to the door, banging his fist against it. "Nami! Nami!" he roared. "Answer me!"

There was no reply from inside.

Luffy exploded in anger. He was positive captain-guy had rigged the vault or something. It was his fault his navigator was trapped inside there. She might be in there with the weapons, but there was no way she could possibly get out on her own. Luffy would have to save her.

By the time Luffy had come to his conclusion, Captain Ramius had replaced the transponder snail to its place on his desk and returned his attention to Luffy.

"Straw Hat. You should just give up. Give up. There's no way you can win. No way to win."

"That's what you think!"

The two men charged at each other, Captain Ramius with the goal to capture, Luffy with the intent to completely annihilate.

Luffy had no reasonable idea why he was so angry. The only major times he lost his cool was if someone had eaten all the meat, Sanji was out of meat, or someone thoroughly pissed him off. It must have been the third option, because the kitchen was full of meat. The next thing to figure out was why this guy pissed him off. It wasn't like most of the other guys whose ass he kicked, who kept talking about subordinates and not friends, there is no such thing as a dream, or guys who were just stupid and needed to be taught a lesson. This captain-guy was different. True, he had stepped on Luffy's dream of becoming King of the Pirates. But he didn't treat his friends like subordinates as far as Luffy could tell, and he certainly wasn't stupid.

Maybe it was because he had locked Nami in the weapons vault. Yeah, that had to be it. Luffy hated it when people mess with this crew, especially Nami. Maybe it was because he had saved her before, on many occasions. Maybe it was because she was the second – well, maybe fifth – to join him, and he had developed some sort of special connection. Luffy didn't really understand it. But all he knew was that Nami needed his help right now, and captain-guy was the only person who could.

Luffy yelled a challenge, and threw his arm back.

The marines of minor rank burst into the room just before the pirate and marine captain clashed. Every man surrounded Luffy, their guns trained on him. Luffy growled, his anger level rising dangerously. Every second wasted on these annoying marines was a second that could be put to better use rescuing Nami from the confines of the vault.

He prepared himself. "Gomu gomu no…" he began, but just then, a marine behind him fired, and a net suddenly attacked him from behind. Luffy flew forward, his limbs entangled in wire. He crashed into a wall, cracking a mirror. "What the hell…?"

All the energy was suddenly sucked from his body. He slid to the ground, completely immobilized and exhausted. "Dammit…"

"That net has sea prism stone in it. Sea prism stone," Captain Ramius told him, a smile crossing his face. "Like I said, there's no way to escape. No way to escape."

Luffy narrowed his eyes. "You bastard! Release my crew!"

"Why would I do that? Why would I do that?" Captain-guy said. "You'll be together again soon. Together soon. You'll all be executed together. Executed together."

Just then, something in the air crackled. Every strand of Luffy's hair stood up straight. Every marine, including Captain Ramius, stared toward the door to the vault. The entire structure was covered in arcing tendrils of lightning. The door smoked. The dial for the knob fell from its post in the door and crashed to the ground, breaking into tiny smoking pieces. The door creaked open, its once slick hinges now burnt and rusty.

Luffy could barely see through the net, but he could faintly make out the slumped figure of his precious navigator just inside the vault. His precious straw hat lay clutched in her hands.

This angered Luffy even further. Now she was unconscious! Oh man, captain-guy had really done it this time. He began tearing at the net, using his hands, his teeth, his feet, anything that would break the net. He tried to be as quiet as possible, because even his not-so-intelligent brain could deduce that the marines catching him in his escape was not that great.

Finally, a wire snapped, and the entire net fell apart. The marine closest to him heard the net snap, and turned around, his eyes widening as he watched Luffy slowly untangle himself. "Captain! Captain sir!"

"What is it? What is it?" Captain Ramius turned, but the marine who had called didn't need to explain why he had done so. Luffy was already letting loose a full scale Gatling Gun on the entire group of marines in the room. They collapsed to the floor, groaning and holding their aching limbs.

Luffy lept over them, taking careful measures to step on Captain Ramius's face, and raced to Nami's side. He tugged his hat from her grip and placed it on his head before gripping her shoulder and shaking her mightily. "Nami! Nami!"

**XXX**

Nami

_The land was beautiful. Daises and tulips of all different colors grew for miles, swaying in the warm summer breeze. The sky was a clear blue, with not a cloud in the sky. Her lightweight dress rippled around her legs like satin, blowing her hair gracefully across her face. She smiled into the wind, spreading her arms to soak up the sun's radiance. It warmed her from her core until her whole body felt suddenly calm and peaceful; she could stay like this forever. There was only one thing missing._

"_Nami! Nami!"_

_Someone called to her. Who was it? The voice was familiar. She turned slowly, and a small figure could be seen running toward her through the flower field. The figure was obviously male. His dark raven hair whisked around his face with the breeze, blowing in front of his kind dark eyes. He wore a light cotton shirt unbuttoned halfway down, revealing a well-built chest and body. It billowed at each step he took. His trousers were of deerskin and a bit dirty, but she didn't care. She liked hard-working men._

"_Nami! Nami!" He called her name again, stopping a few feet away from her._

_This must be paradise, she thought, staring at the boy. Wait, a man. Now that she could see him clearly, she realized he was a very handsome young man. But something nagged at her that told her she knew him already. And that he would never wear something like that if he could help it._

"_Nami! Nami!"_

Nami moaned. "Stop it… I'm right here…"

_Suddenly, the field of flowers faded, replaced by the deck of a rolling ship. The sky overhead turned dark and cloudy, with pouring rain and violent thunder. Her dress was replaced by a soaked t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was plastered to her face, small strands whipping about with the wind. Her skin grew chilled from the driving rain. She had to spread her feet to keep from falling over, one hand gripping the deck rail._

_The man across from her had lost his billowing cotton shirt and dirty trousers for a red vest and blue shorts. His hair was also stuck to his his head sat a weathered straw hat that had seen its better days. He was staring intently at her, his mouth moving at he shouted once more._

"_Nami! Nami!"_

_A piece of wood suddenly flew up from the ocean. It slammed into the side of her head. She went down, rolling along the deck. Her vision went fuzzy. The man ran to her side and knelt beside her, shaking her shoulder and calling her name._

"_Nami! Nami!"_

"Nami! Nami!" That was Luffy's voice. She was certain of it. She could recognize that voice anywhere. But why was he was shaking her shoulder? It was obnoxious. He had to stop. What if he wasn't shaking her shoulder? Move his hands a few more inches downward and...

"LUFFY!" She yelled, her eyes flying open. She sat up suddenly, and her forehead conked against something hard. "DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

"Ow…" A very small voice said.

The scene came into focus. She was sitting in a large metal room full of the Straw Hat weapons. Luffy was a few inches away, rubbing his forehead through his hat. That must have been what she hit. Now that she thought about it, she ached all over; her skin was darkened a bit, and it tingled whenever she moved.

"Luffy! Are you alright?" Nami maneuvered herself to hands and knees, wincing slightly at the unexpected pain.

"I should be asking you. Did you make that lightning?"

Nami simply nodded.

Luffy grinned and gave her an energetic thumbs up. "That was so awesome."

Nami flushed, remembering her vision. "We should, uh, get going. The rest of the crew needs us."

"Oh. Right."

Luffy grabbed a handful of materials and stood, waiting for her. She, too, gathered the remaining weapons and stepped out of the vault with her captain. Her ankle still throbbed, but she could stand it. The electric shock must have done something to it. At least she could walk.

Luffy bypassed the group of marines by the door, but Nami stared at them for a moment, wondering what on earth could have happened out here while she was trapped inside the vault.

"Nami! Let's go!"

Nami looked to her captain. "Right."

**And thus ends chapter four of Escape. I want to thank everyone for their excellent reviews and positive influence! You really have no idea how much I appreciate it.**

**Coming Up: Chapter 5 - Reunited, Part 1**


	5. Reunited: Part 1

**Chapter Five is finally here! It was kind of rushed, but I plan on fixing it soon enough. Promise! I'm also sorry that it's a bit short. I split the reuniting into two chapters because the one chapter would be extremely long if I hadn't.**

**Chapter Updated: Sunday, July 22, 2012**

Chapter 5 – Reunited, Part 1

The escape from Captain Ramius's office was strenuous, but now Nami and Luffy were finally on their way to be reunited with their friends; at least, some of them. The other Devil Fruit Users were still off the radar. Nami was worried about Robin's state of mind. Robin was probably in pretty bad mental shape, having been an enemy of the marines for nearly twice as long as everyone else, plus the traumatic experience at Enies Lobby. Robin was the only person who really kept her cool in times to severe distress, and Nami couldn't deal with the morons in the crew alone.

They passed the kitchen again. Luffy was all for stopping in for a bite, but after some… convincing… from Nami, he agreed to pass. Nami tried desperately to remember the route they had taken from the prison stairs. The entire base looked the exact same, and Nami was getting angry.

Finally, probably by sheer luck alone, Nami recognized the entrance to the underground cells she and Luffy had emerged from about two hours ago. "This way, Luffy!" she instructed.

"Right!"

The smell was awful. Compared to the cleanliness of the upstairs stronghold, the prison was a rats hovel. The prisoners down here were used to it, so they probably didn't notice. Nami wrinkled her nose as the two Straw Hats raced down staircase after staircase, each holding an armful of belongings. Nami hugged Usopp's slingshot, Brook's violin case and Sanji's shoes close to her chest. Her Climatact was tucked safely under her shirt. Luffy lugged all three of Zoro's katana, a fresh bottle of cola, and Brook's cane on his arm. The weapons in their arms clacked and made loud noises with every step. They passed the floor where Nami had been imprisoned. The door was still hanging on loose hinges, the result of Luffy's attack. No marines lay on the floor, but Nami could still see them lying there, seemingly dead.

Down the next staircase. Nami and Luffy stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking down the long cobbled corridor lined with barred cells on either side. This was the floor where their perverted cook, cowardly sniper, and overconfident and self-absorbed shipwright were imprisoned.

"Oi! Sanji! Usopp! Franky!" Luffy called. His voice echoed off the walls, bouncing all the way down the hall.

"Shut up, moron, they'll hear you!" Nami hissed.

"Isn't that the point?"

"I'm talking about the marines hearing you, dumbass!"

"But what if there aren't any on this floor?"

"Think about it Luffy," Nami said, exasperated. "They know you and I have escaped. And the most obviously logical thing we would do next is break the rest of the crew out. So they would post tighter security outside their cells to make it harder or possibly impossible for us to do so. Get it?"

"Well, I guess that makes sense…" Luffy shrugged.

"So we go slowly," Nami continued. "We'll use the element of surprise – wait, Luffy!"

Luffy had already taken off running, his footsteps reverberating against the echoing hallway.

"That dumbass," Nami shook her head and sprinted after her captain.

The corridor was long. Longer than the others, at least, to Nami it was. Dark figures could be seen in the other cells, some slumped over, others standing straight against the wall. Some moaned, or made no sound at all, making Nami wonder if they were dead. That would be nasty.

"Wait!" Luffy suddenly stopped running, causing Nami to run into him. Her face was buried in his back, the momentum of the rest of her body slamming into him forced Luffy to take a step forward, rolling his shoulders again. Nami flushed and stepped back again, remembering the wounds were still sensitive. The clacking of the weapons faded, and all the two could hear was the faint drip of a leaky ceiling, though all Nami could hear the blood pounding in her ears.

Luffy looked around for a second. "I must have imag – "

"Oi!" The call came again. It was faint, echoing off the walls, but the source was close by.

"That was Usopp!" Nami said happily, shaking the embarrassment from her face and replacing it with a wide grin. However, the grin was wiped from her face as a gunshot blasted through the air, followed by a faint squeak. Nami and Luffy exchanged nervous glances.

"Let's hurry!" Luffy began running again, Nami following in hot pursuit. They sprinted past maybe ten more cells before spotting a group of about twenty marine soldiers, standing at the ready in front of a cell door. All the marines made it impossible to see the prisoner, or prisoners, but Nami suspected it to be fairly obvious. From what the orange-haired navigator could see, no blood was visible, but it didn't still her quaking fears.

Nami grabbed Luffy's vest and pulled him into the shadows, out of sight of the marines. "Okay, here's the plan. Luffy, give me those weapons. Yeah, like that. Good. Okay, now leave no ass unkicked. I'll check on the boys."

Luffy cracked his knuckles. "Don't have to tell me twice."

He stepped from the shadows and wasted no time. He raced toward the marines, his eyebrows furrowed. They immediately turned on him, their guns trained on him. They fired simoultaniously, some of them sprouting nets in midair, but Luffy simply dodged and quickly released a Gatling Gun, completely destroying the guard patrol.

_It's probably just me,_ Nami thought to herself, moving out of the shadows and joining her captain. _But the marines are getting weaker and weaker. Or we're getting stronger._

Luffy pressed his face against the cell bars, a crazy grin spreading over his face. "Hey!"

Nami looked to her crewmates. Franky had sustained little damage, his body being mostly metal, but he was still scraped up and malnourished. She was relieved his loincloth was still in place. Sanji had a scab on his cheek, and his feet were red and bleeding, but he was otherwise unharmed. Usopp's nose was broken again, and he was bleeding from a small cut on his temple, but was still alright. All three were chained against the far wall with their wrists above their heads. None of the three were sporting bullet holes; not even Usopp, though he looked a bit shaken up.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji sang as she and Luffy entered their field of vision.

"Luffy, I missed you so much!" Usopp cried.

"Suuuuper nice job escaping," Franky praised them. "We could hear the commotion. How'd you pull it off?"

"We'll explain later," Nami said, standing back to allow her captain space. Luffy entered Gear Second. His skin turned the signature bright red, shining like newly polished silver. The smoke curled off his body. He threw his arms back, and performed the same Gum Gum Bazooka he had on Nami's cell door. The doors popped right off their hinges.

After the cuffs had been removed, Nami handed Franky, Sanji, and Usopp their respective weapons of choice.

"This feels super refreshing," Franky grinned after placing the fresh bottles of cola inside his abdomen compartment. It still sort of freaked Nami out.

Sanji slipped his feet into his shoes, grimacing slightly as the wounds rubbed against the hard leather of the soles. "So what next?"

"We go find the others," Nami said, immediately taking control of the situation. "Zoro is a floor below us; Luffy and Sanji, go get him. Usopp, Franky, and I will find Chopper, Robin, and Brook. Luffy, do you remember where the kitchen is?"

Luffy nodded, his mouth watering slightly. Nami was still doubtful as she handed Luffy Zoro's katanas.

"Meet us back there."

"Why do I have to rescue the marimo?" Sanji complained.

Nami bowed her head, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "You'd be my hero, Sanji-kun," she said sweetly, scratching her chest suggestively. When she looked up again, Sanji and Luffy were already halfway down the hall, Sanji dragging Luffy by the ear and yelling at him to hurry up.

Nami giggled. _That will cost him twenty thousand belis._

She turned to Franky and Usopp. "Let's go!"

**XXX**

Luffy

Luffy and Sanji ran as hard as their legs would allow them down to the next floor below. They met only two groups of patrolmen, but the two skilled pirates disposed of them easily. Luffy allowed Sanji to do most of the fighting, mostly in order to exercise his body after weeks of being chained up, but the captain still threw in a punch or two. By the time they reached the ground floor, Sanji was wheezing, desperately receiving oxygen into his lungs.

"We should – find marimo – " Sanji gasped.

Luffy stood taller. "Right."

Walking slowly, the two maneuvered their way down the hallway, glancing into each cell as they passed, looking for a tell tale sign of green.

"Zoro!" Luffy would yell occasionally, but he received no answer.

"We should have interrogated those marines we beat up," Sanji thought aloud to himself. "They must have been the marimo's guard, just like we had."

"Eh?" A deep voice suddenly said. Metal clanked against metal as a prisoner a few cells away moved forward into the light. "I'm trying to take a nap, you dartboard-eyebrow! Don't you have any respect at all?"

Luffy immediately recognized the light green hair, high eyebrows, and the three identical earrings dangling from the left ear. "Zoro!" Luffy ran forward, grinning wildly at his first mate.

Zoro's shirt was in tatters again; he had put up a fight. The scar stretching from his right shoulder to the left hip was plainly visible. His pants were slightly slashed as well. Zoro wore no shoes; his feet were cut and bleeding. A black cuff was clamped around his left ankle, connecting with the farthest left corner of the cell. His hands were chained in an uncomfortable position behind his back; otherwise, he would have easily been able to break his bonds. Even for having a bounty over one hundred million, he had still suffered slightly less damage on Luffy's three hundred million scale.

Sanji followed, his face twisted. "Oh yeah, snot-hair? Taking a nap while we're working our asses off trying to save you?"

"Better than being stuck with you losers upstairs," Zoro retorted. "I'm so special that I got a cell all to myself. Better luck next time."

"You're not worthy enough to be with anyone else," Sanji shot back. "Your stink would kill us all."

"If I'm underneath you, then that means I'm a higher danger, mister seventy-seven million," the swordsman chuckled. "I'm more dangerous."

"Why you little–!"

Sanji jumped at the bars, but Luffy put a hand out to stop him. "So you were here," the rubber man spoke to Zoro.

"Where else would I be?" Zoro replied haughtily, crossing his arms. "Hurry up and get me out of here!"

A few minutes later, after being handed Yubashiri through the bars, Zoro had cut himself free with ease and was examining each katana thoroughly before buckling them back into his waistband. "What the hell happened to Shuusui!" He said angrily as he ran his fingers across a scratch on the black blade. "Someone was dragging it! When I get my hands on him…"

"Lets go. Nami-san and the others are waiting for us upstairs," Sanji began running in the direction they came from, Luffy a few steps behind. After several feet, the cook stopped and said without turning around, "This way, you snot-haired moron."

Zoro grunted and turned, jogging back to where he had started. "Right. Knew that."

"Honestly, I point this way and you go that way," Sanji muttered to himself, and the three pirates began their ascent to the upper levels of the marine stronghold.

**So, that's it. Please read and reveiw!  
****You want to know a secret? The first time I wrote and published this, I was reading the chapter to check for mistakes and such. The comment Sanji made about Zoro's stink... well, somehow "stink" got changed to "stick" so the line went: "Your stick would kill us all." I was like, Oh damn! And raced to fix it. There's a fun fact.**

**Better than this one story I read once though, the council members were shitting down instead of sitting. XD**

**Coming Up: Chapter 6 - Reunited, Part 2**


	6. Reunited: Part 2

**I'm so sorry for the long wait. I know this chapter is definitely not one of my best ones. But I had all the other chapters planned out except for this one, because I had no earthly clue what to do about Robin, Chopper, and Brook. That's the honest truth. I know I'll definitely come back and edit this chapter later, but I just want to get the crew one hundred percent together before anything else major happens.**

**On that happy note, enjoy. R&R**

**Chapter Updated: Sunday, July 22, 2012**

Reunited – Part 2

Nami

Nami, Usopp, and Franky raced up to the top floor of the prison, emerging into the main facility of the marine base. The three pirates glanced about, completely confused as to what to do next.

"Do either of you have any idea where they might be?" Nami asked.

Both Usopp and Franky shook their heads, frowns creasing their faces.

Nami sucked her lips, crossing her arms and staring down both sides of the hallway. There was no possible way that the other Devil Fruit users would be anywhere near their current location. Even with sea prism stone shackles and possibly cell bars, they were still incredibly dangerous. The best solution to at least get a general idea was probably to interrogate another marine they captured, but there was no telling if the marine even knew where they were.

Then again, Nami had with her the best, or maybe worst, liar in the world. It takes one to know one, so if Usopp couldn't detect a lie, then it was probably the truth.

"Well," Nami concluded. "I suppose we should just refer to the default: beat the answers out of somebody."

Franky's raised his arm, the wrist sliding open to the side to reveal the arm to be hollow. A small circle in his palm opened, and the homing device began searching for a target with a small _beep, beep, beep_ sound. "Super idea."

"A-are you sure?" Usopp moaned. "I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of other options to finding them. Like, maybe if we, ya'know, just look for a map or… or…"

"Or what?"

Usopp's gaze fell. It was obvious he had no other solutions either.

"Alright. Let's go!"

Nami, Usopp, and Franky repeated the random running throughout the stronghold she and Luffy had just performed. Nami still couldn't distinguish which corridor from which, and still had no idea where the hell she was going. There were no marines in the hall, which Nami suspected as a sign that all units had been sent to guard the remaining Straw Hat Crew with all their might. Fabulous.

The three pirates eventually came across two glass double doors with a view of a large grassy garden through it. Nami suspected this was the main entrance to the marine base.

Beyond the large plot of grass lay a harbor with about four marine warships docked there. Nami counted only about twenty patrolling marines, their guns resting at their shoulder. Other dockworkers roamed about on deck, loading cannons and swabbing the decks. The Thousand Sunny was nowhere to be found.

Franky did not seem very pleased at not knowing the whereabouts of his beloved ship. He pressed his face against the glass paneling of the doors, his eyes roaming frantically across the harbor, searching for the boat that wasn't there.

One of the patrolling marines noticed the shipwright pressed firmly against the glass. He shouted out a warning, summoning the others to his side. They cocked their guns and aimed for the blue-haired cyborg. Nami grabbed Usopp's arm and yanked him out of the way, pressing herself and the sniper against a wall and out of the line of fire.

The marines fired, their guns bursting to life simultaneously. Glass shattered with an ear-splitting crash, raining over the linoleum floor like new fallen snow. Small pieces splintered over Nami's feet, slicing open her skin and causing her feet to bleed. Small particles cut across the arms she held over her head. Through the sounds of continuous gunfire and shattering glass, Nami could hear the sharp _click_ of the bullets bouncing harmlessly off Franky's metallic front side.

Finally, the gunfire ceased, and an eerie silence fell on all ears. The remaining pieces of glass clattered to the floor, and lay still. All she could hear was her own heavy breathing and what she suspected was Usopp's teeth chattering in fear. Nami waited a few seconds before slowly lowering her arms to observe the scene.

The double doors had been completely annihilated. The black frame was riddled with smoking bullet holes. Glass littered the corridor, and Nami could see several destroyed pieces of shrapnel lying within the mix. Franky stood amongst the damage, still staring around for his ship, completely oblivious to all the debris. There was not a scratch on him.

Nami and Usopp stood up and moved delicately into the view of the marines, careful to step gently around the rubble. Nami wasn't wearing shoes, and she refused to have Usopp carry her. The marines were murmuring among themselves in horror, staring at the man who had just been shot and stood there perfectly unharmed.

"I don't see the ship anywhere," Franky said finally. His voice was downcast, and Nami was afraid he'd start singing.

To interrupt the shipwright's lament, Nami pulled her Climatact from underneath her shirt, fitting the pieces together into the long blue pole. The marines took aim again, their guns cocked straight towards them.

Nami took careful note of the wind direction before releasing several Cool Balls and Heat Balls. The gentle breeze from the sea carried the spheres of cold and heat toward the nervous marines, colliding and condensing above their heads. Now knowing what it feels like to be electrocuted, she didn't' feel comfortable condemning these men to having their nerves on fire, but there was no other way.

"Thunder Tempo!" she cried as she released the crackling gold sphere into the large cloud that floated above the men's heads. One of the marines tried to warn his fellow comrades, but it was too late. The lightning flashed, and the men yelled out in pain as the electricity passed through their bodies. They collapsed one by one, smoke curling from their mouths.

One man didn't allow himself to fall; he merely fell to one knee, his head bowed, breathing heavily. Usopp pulled a small red ball from his pouch and aimed it at the fallen man as Nami approached him cautiously. When she was near enough to touch him, she kicked the rifle from underneath his hand and knelt so she could look him in the eye.

"Hello," she said sweetly. "You wouldn't happen to know where the three Straw Hat Devil Fruit users are, would you? A woman with black hair, a small raccoon-dog, and a very tall skeleton." She didn't mean to call Chopper a raccoon-dog, but there was no way this marine was going to refer to him as a reindeer, so she had to speak in his language.

The marine looked up, his icy blue eyes boring deep holes in her own. "Like I'd tell any of you, filthy pirates," he snapped.

"Looks like he'll need convincing," Franky stepped forward, pounding his fist into his palm.

"That won't be necessary," Nami said quickly. "I can get the information out of him. Just give me five minutes." She grasped the marine by the cuff of his shirt and dragged him around the corner of the building, out of sight of the sniper and shipwright. _I'm so sorry. I was saving this for you, but…_

Nami returned a few minutes later, and informed her companions Robin, Chopper, and Brook were in another building all together. All they had to do was run around the perimeter of the building until they found a large silver box set into a rocky cliff face. Find a way inside the box and good luck with locating their comrades.

"That's amazing, Nami!" Usopp praised. "How'd you get him to talk?"

Nami's body suddenly felt very heavy and her cheeks flared up. "A girl has her ways," she said simply. "Alright, let's go rescue Robin!"

The marine hadn't said which direction they should run around the base, so Nami decided to run in the opposite direction of where she left him leaned against the wall, holding his hands to his mouth with his eyes bugging out of his head. She didn't want her comrades to see the results of her… interrogation.

Her heart pounded painfully against her chest with every breath. The guilt weighed down on her like one of Zoro's dumbbells had attached itself to her body, slowing her pace. She had been saving that move especially for a certain person, but it didn't matter anymore. She would never have another one like it ever again. He shoulders sagged at the thought, pressure building up behind her eyes. She shook her head, refusing to cry. This was neither the time nor the place to show weakness.

Nami was so lost in her thoughts that she kept on running even when Franky and Usopp had stopped. Someone grabbed her arm and yanked her backwards, and she fell hard on her butt. "What the hell –" she stopped speaking, staring at the scene she had almost run headlong into.

Just as her prisoner had said, a huge silver-colored box-looking contraption thing was set into a cliff that semi-circled around the back of the stronghold. A few sets of stairs led up to a small door positioned at the very end of the box. Surrounding the entrance were about a hundred and fifty marine soldiers, each man armed with a gun and a pocket full of grenades. Some cannons were also surrounding the entrance, with two marines manning them. Three huge men walked amongst the marines, each with a huge coat around their shoulders that identified them as captains or Vice-Admirals. Nami instantly recognized Garp and Ramius among the three. The third she didn't know.

Usopp's teeth began chattering. "I think I have _we-shouldn't-attack-all-those-marines-at-once_ disease!"

"How the hell are we going to get in there?" Nami thought aloud to herself.

"We should just charge right in," Franky suggested.

"How about not?" Usopp returned.

"That's a very Luffy sort of move," Nami agreed. "In fact, if he were here, I'd say he would be out there already."

As if on cue, a familiar yell bounced through the ranks. The marines tensed, cocking their guns and flinging them around from side to side. The cannoneers stood at the ready, awaiting orders. A few seconds passed, during which Nami was silently screaming curses to the sky. _Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit…._

A sudden explosion sent smoke, dust, and small pieces of brick flying in every direction. Nami, Franky, and Usopp peered around the corner to behold a large hole in the wall to the main base. Three figures could be seen amongst the rubble. They stepped forward into their field of vision.

"Oh, wow." Luffy said, running a hand through his hair. "Looks like the short cut didn't work."

"I told you, shit-head!" Sanji immediately turned on Zoro. "It was a left at the picture of the freaky dude with a beard!"

"We went left, you stupid cook!" Zoro shot back.

"No, we went straight. Right through the wall. And look where we are now!"

Nami facepalmed for the second time that day. There was no point in hiding herself from the marines now that the monster team had appeared. She stepped out from around the corner of the building, Franky and Usopp behind her.

Sanji spotted them first. "NAMI-SWAN!" he cried, his eyes forming little hearts inside his head.

The marines murmured among themselves as the group of three became six.

"What the hell are you doing here, Luffy?" Nami said, trying to sound like she hadn't betrayed herself half an hour earlier.

"Oh, about that." Luffy put on an embarrassed sort of grin. "We got lost trying to find the kitchen and old chef guy."

"It's this marimo's fault," Sanji muttered.

"Eh! You wanna go, Love-cook?"

"Alright you two, shut up," Nami said, her tone becoming dangerously annoyed. "Robin, Chopper and Brook are in there." She pointed at the silver box. Zoro's expression changed a bit as he stole a glance toward the entrance. "Those guys need to be dealt with." Her finger moved to the marines. "Can you three handle that?"

Zoro placed his bandanna over his head, drawing his three katana and placing the Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. Sanji began to spin on one foot, faster and faster, and when he came to a stop, his left leg was quite literally burning red. Luffy's skin turned shiny, wisps of steam curling off his body. "Aye." They said simultaneously.

The monster team was a whirlwind of flying colors. Each member easily took at least five marines with each blow. Cannons crumbled under Sanji's kicks, mortars fell in halves to the ground at Zoro's feet, and bullets ricocheted from Luffy's rubber body. It wasn't long before only Captain Ramius, Vice-Admiral Garp, and the other high-ranking officer remained on their feet.

"You want a rematch?" Luffy challenged Captain Ramius. Nami was curious as to why the most powerful of the Monster Trio would attack the lowest ranking officer of the bunch, but then it occurred to her that he had already fought his grandfather earlier that day. Despite Luffy being a pirate and Garp a marine, they were still family, and she could tell Luffy didn't want to fight his kin unless deemed absolutely necessary.

Zoro's eyes narrowed as he took his Oni Giri stance against the mystery officer, who drew a thick broadsword from the sheathe slung over his back.

Sanji dropped to a runner's position as he stared Vice-Admiral Garp in the face, a cigarette limp in his mouth. "Have a light?" He asked the Vice Admiral, who gave a low growl in return.

As the pirates and high-ranking officers clashed, the other Straw Hats skirted around the outside of the scuffle and broke in the door to the prison. The far wall was made of hard rock. From the door, a path led to the left, followed soon by a flight of stairs going down. The pirates stepped into the path tentatively, still on the lookout for traps.

Nami, Usopp, and Franky reached the bottom of the staircase, observing their surroundings. They stood in a long, dimly lit corridor. The walls were made of the same rock as the cliff, so Nami quickly assumed they were inside the mountain. Large cells lined the walls, the bars placed close together. There was no way to tell if the cells were of sea prism stone, but it was highly probable.

"Alright, we'll split up," Nami said. "Look in every cell. Don't miss a single one! We need to get them out as quickly as possible."

"Right."

**XXX**

It was Franky who located their missing crewmates. It was ten minutes by Nami's guess, but it was impossible to tell time in the prison. The shipwright called for the navigator and sniper, and they rushed quickly to assist.

Chopper was in an uncomfortable position. His entire body, except for his head, was encased in this white-grey material with small stones embedded in it. He was slumped against the wall, his eyes droopy. One of his horns was chipped. When he saw Franky, Usopp and Nami, he immediately started to cry with joy.

Brook had been tossed into the corner, with just a thin iron ring clamped around his skeletal neck. He gave a cheery _yohohohoho_ as they appeared, throwing in a cheery wave.

Robin appeared to be asleep. She sat with her head leaning up against the wall, turned gently to the side. Her hair was matted and tangled, hanging limp over sagging shoulders. Her skirt was frayed and torn, and her top was ripped at the seams. Her feet were bare, and Nami could see small cuts around her ankles. The archaeologist was otherwise unharmed, which Nami found curious, but good.

Usopp pulled lock picks from his pouch and set to work on the mechanism, breaking it open within seconds. Nami pulled Chopper free from his straitjacket while Usopp set to work on Robin and Franky ripped apart Brook's neck brace.

"Yohohoho! That brace was heavy; I thought my skin would completely rub off! Ah, but I don't have any skin to be rubbed! SKULL JOKE!" Brook was back to his old self.

Robin slowly awoke as Usopp finished the last sea prism cuff around her wrists. "Miss Navigator. Long-nose. Mr. Shipwright."

"Robin," Nami smiled. "Are you alright?"

Robin nodded slowly, using Usopp as a support to stand. "I've been sitting for a long time and my joints are stiff. But I'm alright, and I'm ready to help in our escape."

"Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro are outside holding off the marines," Usopp explained the situation as the six pirates moved slowly back down the corridor to the exit. "They should be about finished by now."

Chopper had changed into his four-legged reindeer form, and was clopping along next to Franky. "What now?"

"What now?" Nami thought for a moment. "We need to find the Sunny. And then we'll leave this place behind!"

"To the Sunny!" The six pirates' voices reverberated up and down the prison, the volume bearing down on their ears. But it was worth it, because the voices were so full of confidence, Nami was sure they would have no more problems.

"To the Sunny!"

**There! Finally! Completed! I know the ending is a bit sudden, but I haven't had Internet for the past week, and I finally got some at a café, so I wanted to wrap it up and post it before I had to leave. This chapter will definitely be edited on a later date, so check back when the next chapter is posted.**

**So the chapter was updated; later than I thought it would be. I didn't change much of it, mostly a few choice wordings and actions. As I go through these chapters, I find myself needing to "fix" less and less. I guess that's a good sign, right? :)**

**Coming Up: Chapter 7 - Destination**


	7. Destination

**Yes, this chapter is written in Robin's POV. I promised a tad of ZoRobin in the summary, so this is it. Plus, I was getting a bit tired of writing in Nami's perspective. *shrugs***

**Oh, and since my nice fun week is over, and I'm back at work all day/every day, I won't be able to update as quickly. However, I will do the best I can to keep all of you happy. :)**

**Chapter Updated: Sunday, July 22, 2012**

Chapter 7 – Destination

Robin

The bright sunlight blinded the archaeologist as she and her companions emerged from the prison located deep within the cliff. Having been underground for several weeks, her eyes took a while to become adjusted to the sudden light exposure. She raised her free arm to her face to act as a shade, squinting at the scene before them.

Robin recognized Garp almost immediately, his large torso and small legs giving him away. His was doing battle with Mr. Cook, who looked a little worse for wear. The cook lashed out with his leg, and the Vice Admiral easily blocked it with his forearm. He retaliated by placing his fist none-too-lightly against Sanji-san's ribcage. The cook coughed up a little blood, but managed to stay on his feet. He dropped the ground and kicked Garp's feet out from under him, sending the man crashing to the ground. Mr. Cook-san slammed his foot into the Vice-Admiral's stomach, hitting the pressure point and knocking him out. Victory for Sanji.

Robin turned her attention to Mr. Captain, who was fighting another man who was identified as a marine captain by his coat. Luffy was in his Gear Second, launching lightning-fast swipes to his opponent. The marine seemed to be holding his own against Luffy, whose facial expression showed his annoyance growing with every punch. Finally, after a perfectly executed strike to the opposing captain's lower back, the captain – marine – collapsed face first into the blood-soaked grass. Victory for Luffy.

The last opponent standing was another Vice Admiral, going up against Mr. Swordsman. She didn't recognize this opponent either, but he was also a swordsman. He wielded a broadsword, nearly as long as his own arm. He swung it wildly, giving Zoro a run for his money with his three sword style. He lashed out with his black blade, and the Vice Admiral blocked it, but he lost his footing and tripped, struggling to keep his feet under him. Zoro took control of that opportunity and swiped the flat of the blade he held in his other hand against the marine's legs, causing him to fall. A quick strike to his abdomen, and the three marines lay defeated on the ground.

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stood panting over their fallen opponents. Luffy's skin faded back into its regular tone as Zoro removed his sweaty bandana and tied it around his arm. Robin averted her eyes.

"Great job, guys!" Nami called out to them, waving her arm to get their attention.

"Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!" Mr. Cook cried, his eyes tearing up. "Do you love me now?"

Zoro looked up at her at the sound of Robin's name. She and Long-nose were making their way down the steep stairs down to the small area where there had obviously been a battle. He watched her as he slowly sheathed his katana. His eyes were unreadable, but she could see he hadn't fully recovered from his ordeal in Thriller Bark. She still hadn't told him she knew about his intended sacrifice. She was waiting for the right time.

The Straw Hat pirates were reunited at last; they all conversed for a short time, telling each other of their painful ordeals. Robin didn't speak much, mostly agreeing with whatever Mr. Doctor and Mr. Skeleton told, for she had been with them since their capture. She was interested to hear Zoro had been locked in a room with another prisoner and forced to do battle. The other prisoner had put up a fight, causing Zoro most of his injuries, but had been defeated in the end. Mr. Swordsman had been deemed worthy of his bounty and placed in solitary confinement before being rescued by Mr. Captain and Mr. Cook.

Miss Navigator finally broke through the conversation. "Hey!" she yelled, silencing the other eight members. "We're not out of this yet. We need to find the ship."

Robin agreed with her. "Does anyone have any information?"

There was no response.

Robin nodded. "Then we must assume the worst. The Sunny has been dismantled."

Franky exploded. "Isn't that going a bit too far!" he yelled. "The Thousand Sunny was made from the wood of the Adam Tree! That ship can endure anything, because I made it! We will find the Sunny right now if I have to tear this entire place down!"

Robin smiled inwardly. She had known that by suggesting the ship's destruction, Franky's resolve to find his beloved ship would be multiplied tenfold.

"Well," Miss Navigator began pacing, thinking aloud to herself. "If we start at the entrance harbor Franky, Usopp and I found, we may be able to locate the docks by following the water. We can always interrogate as well…" Her voice trailed off.

Zoro sheathed his katana. "Then let's go."

"Wait!" Usopp said, putting a hand out to stop Zoro from running off. "Put Nami in the lead. We can't let Zoro get us lost again."

"Eh!"

Robin chuckled. Perhaps Long-nose was right about this one.

Nami led the pirate crew around the outside of the base, not trusting herself with the labyrinth of corridors inside the building.

Robin noticed as they ran the sky was getting darker as the sun began to set. It would be trouble if they were stranded in the dark, so they had to hurry. The marines know this place like the back of their hand, while the only thing the pirates had seen was the inside of their cells. There was about a ninety-five percent chance they would get caught if darkness fell.

The pirates rounded a corner to face the scene Nami had described to her: the port with ten warships, about twenty marines scattered around, and a completely destroyed front entrance. Robin observed the surrounding area as the navigator began to examine the paths of the water. She could faintly hear Nami's instructions as the archaeologist knelt beside a fallen marine. She pulled a key from inside his pocket, running her finger around the part that fit into the mechanism.

"Robin! Did you hear that?"

Robin snapped out of her stupor. "Ah. Yes. What was that?"

"You're with Zoro, Brook, and Usopp. The water diverges into two paths here, so we'll split into two groups. You'll go down that path, and the rest of us will head through this tunnel." Nami said, pointing to the two rivers of water flowing in opposite directions, both into the mountainside. "I have reason to think one of these two has the Sunny." Robin joined her group by the entrance of the first tunnel, while Nami, Luffy, Cook-san, Franky, and Chopper gathered by the second entrance. Nami passed out torches lit by Franky's _Fresh _Fire technique and continued giving out instructions. "If you find the Sunny, fend off all marines. If you don't, leave the tunnel and find us in this one."

The pirates split up, each group heading deep into their tunnel.

**XXX**

There was no path to walk on most of the time while Robin's group explored. Robin, being a Devil Fruit user, used her hands to swing from stalagmites above them while Brook gripped onto her ankle. Zoro and Usopp swam with the current. During these intervals, Robin's limbs that sprouted from the wall passed the torch between them to keep the darkening tunnel fairly well lit. It wasn't the most ideal solution, because the stalagmites were slippery at times, but it was the best situation they could come up with. She and Brook couldn't risk falling into the water.

It was a while before there was enough room by the wall for people to stand. It was a single-file trek down the path with Robin in front with the torch, then Zoro, followed by Brook, with Usopp in the back. Robin used her power to grow eyes several feet ahead to check for any drop offs every several steps. She only slipped once, with Zoro grabbing her arm to steady her.

"Thank you," she said, and began to move forward again. However, Zoro's hand was still clenched around her forearm. She looked down at it, then back up into its owner's face. "You can release me, Mr. Swordsman," she said, tugging her arm away for emphasis.

Zoro was staring at her with something she didn't recognize. It wasn't like the tough swordsman to space out like he was currently, unless of course it was time for his morning nap. She put her hand gently on his and began to pry his fingers off her forearm.

"Huh?" He snapped out of whatever he had been thinking and released her.

Brook peered over Zoro's shoulder, staring at him from the side. "Ah, Zoro-san…"

The swordsman shook his head. "Eh?"

"Perhaps you would like to be informed of our current situation? We must find the ship, or Franky-san will have our hides. Ah, but I don't have a hide. Yohohoho!"

Zoro's eyes squinted into slits. "Shut the hell up," he muttered, sliding past Robin to take the lead.

Mr. Skeleton chuckled to himself and the group continued onward.

The water level began to rise, covering Robin's ankles. She told the swordsman to halt, and the four pirates stopped moving. The archaeologist raised the flames above her head, searching for an ideal handhold. She was stunned to see the ceiling had been completely smoothed and there were, in fact, no handholds.

She looked to her feet; the water was already halfway up her shins. The situation was getting dire. She could already feel what little strength she had slowly seeping from her body.

Mr. Swordsman seemed to understand as well. He took the torch from Robin and held it between his teeth. He reached down and slid his arm under her knees and lifted her up, holding her against his chest. "Right," he said, his voice muffled by the piece of wood stuck between his teeth. "Let's keep going."

Usopp hooked the musican on his back and the four continued.

Robin wasn't exactly sure how to feel about her current situation. Her head rested on Zoro's shoulder, her face warmed by the fire. Despite not being in water, her body still felt very weak. So Robin simply closed her eyes and feigned physical weakness. For some reason, she enjoyed the loping gait of Mr. Swordsman. It was comfortable.

**XXX**

"Oi, Robin."

She opened her eyes, squinting at the light. The four pirates had emerged into a large cavern with twenty or so flaming torches in brackets along the walls. A high rope bridge was suspending in a large circle on the wall, encompassing the entire room. The water had drained from around Zoro's feet, yet he still held her carefully. Brook was walking on his own, without the help of Long-nose's back. The underground river flowed into a giant pool where a small slope of rock rose from the depths and attached itself to the far wall. Suspended on that slope with several dozen ropes was the Thousand Sunny, its painted face smiling at them as if to say, _congratulations for finding me!_

"Sunny…" Long-nose cried, running to the stairs that led up to the rope bridge. Brook and Zoro, still carrying her, raced after him.

"Zoro-kun, I believe I can walk on my own now," Robin said, unwinding herself from his body and slowly finding good footing. Zoro let her down without a word, but Robin was good at reading people. She could tell he really didn't want to let her go.

Usopp and Brook had already boarded the ship by the time she and the swordsman reached them. The four immediately split up, each evaluating their own personal spaces. Zoro headed straight for the crows nest to check his training equipment. Brook went to the kitchen. Usopp left for the bedrooms while Robin inspected her library. Thankfully, none of her books had been confiscated.

Suddenly, Long-nose's voice let out a huge cry. Robin dropped the book she had been holding as she raced in the direction of the bedrooms. She joined the other three, who stood in the doorway to the men's bunk. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; the lockers were still neat against the wall; WANTED posters still pasted to the wooden panels just above Franky's personal cola stock. The bunks were silent.

However, Usopp could only point with a shaking finger. Robin followed his gaze, her eyes resting on one of the wooden hammocks. Unlike her initial observation, one of the beds, was in fact, occupied.

A small man swung gently from side to side, snoring. He was dressed in white, with a large apron tied around his waist. A tall chef's hat lay on the ground below him. He seemed to sense the presence of the pirates, because he murmured something, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

He noticed the four Straw Hats and merely stared at them. They stared back.

They stayed that way for several minutes before the small man finally broke the silence. He raised his hand, placing a smile on his face. "Yo."

**This ZoRobin segment was really hard to write because I didn't want to stray from Zoro's hard-yet-humerous personality and Robin's cute-but-morbid one. I didn't want to make it too mushy 'cause then that's straying from the characters and I don't like doing that.**

**Also, I'm sorry about the Vice Admirals apparant easy defeat. I didn't exactly know how to get the pirates out of harms way, so I kind of made them seem a bit weak, and the Straw Hats strong even in a malnourished state. I'm constantly trying to work on it, but it's not coming. :(**

**So, R&R, tell me what you think!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 8 - Departing**


	8. Departing

**I have found myself recently alternating between Escape and Reunion of the Brothers. So, since RotB was posted last, it's Escape's turn!**

**Also, this is extremely important! I have been talking with one of my best friends EVER (he's on this site, too; you should definitely read Ikuinen Talvi's stuff!) and he convinced me that I've bitten off an elephant-sized portion more than I can chew with all the stuff that's going on at my life in present time. So, I've agreed to completely finish **_**Escape**_** before I move on to finish **_**Reunion of the Brothers**_**. For those of you following both this and RotB, I sincerely apologize; but this story I started first, so I want to end it first. Followed by RotB, then Those Who Care, and then start on whichever story is most popular on my poll.**

**I am pleased to announce that with the posting of this chapter, there have been a few minor changes – improvements – made to the previous chapters of this story. These changes will play in later, so if you would kindly skim over them again to refresh yourself. Thanks bunches!**

**I present to you, ladies and gents, the official **_**getting-the-halfway-hell-outta-Dodge**_**/**_**Marine-fortress **_**chapter! I hope you all enjoy; you all know the drill; R&R!**

Chapter 8 - Departing

Zoro

The old man was in his bunk. That pissed him off. Granted, he hardly ever slept in it, but it was still his. No one slept in his spot without dealing with him first. Besides the fact that there was this random guy sleeping in his bed, he had already exerted too much energy and there was no way he'd be able to fight for very long. Just to be on the safe side, he flicked the hilt of the Wadō, partially releasing it from its sheath.

The cook…chef…marine… whatever was sitting up, the bed still swinging gently from side to side. His hair was dark, graying around the edges, with small stubble on his chin. A grand smile crossed his face, his hand raised in a friendly greeting. "Yo."

"Don't 'yo' me," Zoro said menacingly. "Who the hell are you?"

The man swung his legs over the side of the wooden hammock, sliding onto the floor. He picked up his hat and set it atop his head; it brushed the ceiling of the room. "I?" He asked. "Do you want my alias or my real name?"

"You real one of course!" Usopp demanded.

"Fine then. My alias is Chef Shawn. I'm a cook for the marines."

"I wanted your real name, dammit!" Usopp said angrily. "What are you doing on the Sunny?"

Chef Shawn or whatever didn't answer; he only put his hands on his hips and stared about the room, shaking his head. "You need to keep better care of your ship; so disorganized."

Brook had to hold the pissed off sniper back from attacking the old man. Zoro, who was angry enough as it was, struggled to keep his cool. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

The chef cocked his eyebrow. "Do you plan on escaping here by yourself?" he asked. "I've been in this place for six years, and I'm pretty sure I know my way around this place better than you do."

That confirmed it. All cooks are jackasses.

"What is your goal here?" Robin asked calmly.

"I am here to see to your escape," Shawn said, bowing low to the archaeologist in an almost Sanji-like fashion. "My duty as a Revolutionary and –"

"Whoa, stop." Zoro intervened. "Revolutionary? As in the Revolutionist Dragon?"

"The one and only," Shawn said proudly.

Zoro knew that Dragon was Luffy's father. The whole crew had learned it back in Water 7 after the Enies Lobby incident. The main goal of the Revolutionaries was to destroy the World Government, so why the hell was one doing here in a marine base? If he even was one…

"How do we know you're not lying?" Usopp said, releasing himself from the skeleton's grip.

In answer, the cook took hold of his left sleeve and folded it up to his elbow. Tattooed to the inside of his arm was a red sword and an arrow intersecting one another, with a giant letter 'R' directly in the center: the symbol of the Revolutionaries.

_He really is a Revolutionary!_ Zoro thought to himself, thoroughly surprised. He refused to show emotion, however, and simply spoke his question aloud. "What are you doing in a marine base?"

The chef sighed, a harsh wailing sound. "Awww-uuuuuuu-gh! So many questions! Well, actually," he added, talking more to himself than the four pirates glaring at him. "We do have to wait until Straw Hat and the others get here… so we might as well… but I'm not allowed to reveal that confidential information…"

_Make up your damn mind!_ Zoro growled angrily to himself.

"Ah!" The chef plopped his fist into his palm. "I have an idea! Why don't we eat? I'm sure you're all hungry."

As if on cue, four stomachs – well, three – grumbled loudly. Zoro grit his teeth; he hated sounding weak. He casually put one hand against his stomach to calm it, but Chef Shawn had eyes like a hawk, noticing the very discreet movement.

"Alright, we'll go to the kitchen." He maneuvered past the pirates like it was his own ship, ascending the stairs and making his way through the door to the kitchen, Usopp and Brook following on his heels. Zoro and Robin exchanged wary glances, them being the more sophisticated of the group. She flicked her eyes in the direction the three had headed, her question obvious.

_Should we go?_

Zoro shrugged, replacing his katana to its sheath. _Might as well._

The two entered the kitchen together, Zoro watching the Revolutionary/marine chef shuffle through Sanji's carefully organized shelves, muttering to himself about order and catalogs and categorizing. Basically, stuff that Zoro didn't give a shit about.

Five minutes later, the chef was placing plates of steamed vegetables and grilled steak on the table. Usopp and Brook's eyes sparkled at the display of a five-minute meal. "Don't eat too quickly," the chef ordered. "Your stomachs need to adjust to this kind of food again."

"Ah! I don't have a stomach to adjust! Yohohohoho!"

Zoro didn't eat. He was too suspicious. There were no marines around, despite them knowing the pirates were still at large, searching for their ship. And suddenly, this guy working "undercover" for the marines appears and makes them food. Zoro might not be the brightest color in the box, but even he could tell either the four were being duped, or they were being set up for a trap. Either way, Zoro didn't trust this Chef Shawn guy.

"Oi!" A voice called. "Everyone! Hello?"

Usopp looked up from his steak. "It's Luffy and the others!"

Robin and Zoro exited the kitchen and looked out over the railing along the path they themselves had come down. Their remaining five members stood just below them, waving their hands to get someone's attention.

Luffy was dripping wet, but smiling all the same, his hands moving in crazy circles above his head. Love-cook was soaked as well, which led Zoro to deduce that Luffy had fallen in and Sanji had saved him. Zoro honestly didn't see the point of gaining power through the Devil Fruit only to lose the ability to swim. Franky had begun crying again at the sight of his dream ship, snot dangling unmanly-like from his nose. Chopper was in his four-legged form and carrying Nami on his back. Bitch.

The nine pirates reunited on deck, all rolling on the grass or checking to make sure nothing had been stolen. Franky went to the engine and Channel Rooms to check damages. Chopper headed off to his mini hospital while Nami examined the study. Luffy and Love-cook, of course, immediately headed to the kitchen.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?" Zoro heard Sanji exclaim indignantly. Zoro chuckled to himself and stepped inside the kitchen to observe the scene.

Luffy had sat down at the table between the sniper and skeleton, and immediately begun to stuff his face, his cheeks bulging out the sides like a chipmunk. Sanji had the invader pinned up against a wall, one foot pressed against the counter, his expression livid. Zoro leaned against the wall, his arms crossed lazily.

"You have an amazing kitchen," Chef Shawn said as if he hadn't heard Sanji. "I assume you're the cook upon this vessel."

"That's right," Sanji growled. "And if you think you can waltz in here –"

"Alright. First, take your foot off the counter; who knows where those shoes have been. And second, I didn't _waltz_ in here, I walked. Dancing is not my thing. And third, I am here to _help_ you."

"Don't you mock me," Sanji said dangerously.

"Sanji-kun?" Nami's voice called from outside. "Can you fix me some coffee, please?"

Sanji's entire demeanor changed instantly; his one visible eye transformed into a giant red heart as he swooned, "Hai, Nami-swann!" The stupid love-cook immediately set to work, rummaging through the cabinets to find the coffee power. He couldn't appear to find any in its usual spot. Very slowly, his hand dropped from a cabinet handle. He pivoted slowly on his feet, once again facing the intruder.

"Did you," he asked slowly. "Switch all my cabinets?"

Chef Shawn nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "What little there was left here. The marines confiscated most of it, but some of the stuff they don't use was left behind. So while I whipped up something for your nakama, I rearranged the shelves in alphabetical order."

"What. The. Hell?"

"Ah! It's you!"

The room went silent. The skeleton, sniper, love-cook, intruder-cook, and swordsman all turned, five pairs of eyes landing on the captain, who was eyeing the intruder with wide eyes. "You're old chef guy!"

Chef Shawn threw his hands up like he was praising God. "He finally notices," he said dramatically.

"Sanji!" Nami called again, forcing her way into the kitchen. "Where's my – oh! Zoro, why the hell is this guy on our ship?"

"Why did you immediately turn on me!" Zoro yelled back, his temper rising. "I don't know who this bastard is!"

"Nami-swan, do you know this man?" Sanji asked.

Nami nodded. "Luffy and I ran into him while we were trying to find the weapons' vault. He's a cook for the marines! But he looks a bit different…"

"He claims to be a Revolutionary," Robin threw in, standing beside Nami. Zoro jumped; he hadn't even heard her come in.

"What?" The navigator was stunned, her eyes roving from the archeologist to marine-cook. "He's a Revolutionary?"

Chef Shawn once again rolled up his sleeves, showing off his tattoo. Robin nodded a confirmation; it was the real deal.

"But what is he doing on our ship?"

"Oi, old chef guy! Did you make this? It's really good!"

"Luffy! Don't eat that!"

"Hey, I was eating that!"

"Yohoho, I think my stomach will burst… if I had a stomach!"

"Yeah, I made that."

"Do you think his cooking is better than mine, Luffy!"

Luffy! Old chef guy! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Old chef guy! Luffy! Sanji! Robin! Old chef guy! Brook! Old che—

"_Quiet! Shut the hell up!"_

The voices died down, everyone staring at the swordsman, who stood tall at the head of the room. His temper had snapped, and the Straw Hats knew what came after that.

Zoro's eyes were tight, his eyebrows almost unnaturally flat across his forehead. His muscles were tense, and a vein popped from his neck. His gait as he strode stiffly across the room to face Chef Shawn was stiff, firm, and unyielding as a striking snake. He backed the chef up against the wall, one hand next to his face and the other resting in plain sight against his katana. Zoro was tired of this fools crusade. This guy was going to stop beating around the bush. He was going to get his lazy ass out of La La Land and back to the present, in the same room with a pissed off ex-bounty hunter-turned-pirate with a one hundred and twenty million beli bounty on his head.

"I'm going to make this perfectly clear," he said, his voice dangerously low. "I want to know _who_ sent you here, _what_ your goal is, _when_ this plan was set in motion, _where_ you plan on leading us, _why_ you're 'helping' us, and _how_ you plan to get us out of this hellhole."

Chef Shawn's dark eyes didn't waver from the swordsman's own hard black ones. Zoro could tell even though the chef's face showed no emotion, his eyes revealed him to be completely awestruck, if not terrified.

"Who. Dragon-sama. What. To help the Straw Hats escape. When. A few weeks ago. I convinced the other chef to – ah – take a leave of absence. Where. To the sea. Why. I don't know Dragon-sama's motives. How. Where is your shipwright, Cyborg Franky?"

"Below decks." Robin answered before Zoro could do anything potentially harmful.

The chef put a calm hand against Zoro's arm, pushing it away from his face so he could leave the kitchen. Zoro, still livid but slightly calmed, was not satisfied with the intruder's simplistic answers. The pirates exchanged glances before following him out of the kitchen, Nami dragging Luffy by the ear, and into the engine room, where they met up with Franky, who was putting finishing touches on the repairs.

"Huh?" He mumbled, pushing his sunglasses to his forehead. "Who's this guy?"

"He's going to get us out of here," Nami explained, releasing the captain.

"I will have a private talk with him," the chef said without turning to face the pirates. "You all get some sleep. It will be hard to navigate in this darkness. As a matter of fact, Cat Burglar Nami, you stay here as well."

Zoro and the other Straw Hats filed out of the room, the swordsman casting a glance back at the confused shipwright and even more confused navigator. Chopper approached the group as they slowly made their way toward the boys' room. The little reindeer requested all those injured, which was pretty much everyone, allow him to patch them up.

Zoro went first, allowing the doctor to bandage his sliced torso and feet. He hated being wrapped up like some mummy, it was hard to train like that. But he supposed if it made him heal faster… from this and Thriller Bark. After his examination, he committed to habit and stayed on watch, relaxing against the tall main mast of the ship, facing the darkness of the tunnel through which lay the open sea.

He didn't know what had come over him when Robin had slipped. He saved her, of course, his quick reflexes jerking into action without him really controlling them, grabbing her arm to steady her. But his fingers wouldn't move. They stayed curled around her forearm, and his eyes stayed locked on her face. Of course his brain didn't register anything until she gently pried his fingers open. His nerves switched on their receptors and released her, his brain becoming muddled and confused. That stupid skeleton's comment wasn't necessary, either.

"May I join you?"

Zoro looked up, his eyes meeting the bright blue orbs of knowledge that belonged to Nico Robin. Well, speak of the devil. She, too, had been doctored; small pieces of gauze wrapped around her arms and feet. He nodded, sliding over to make room. She sat next to him, a bit too close for comfort, but he didn't complain. It wasn't like him to complain. She pulled out a book and opened it to a random page, her eyes roaming over the words.

Zoro wasn't all that interested in reading. To him, the only value the skill really held was figuring out just how much someone was worth. Although his days as a bounty hunter were over, he still had the little habit of casting glances at Nami's newspaper to check for new bounties. Now, he put that sneaky skill to use, his eyes flicking between the darkness and the small print of Robin's book. It took him a while to actually understand something, and he discovered the book was the history of the Kitetsu swords.

"Kitetsu was the sword smith of the Kitetsu swords," Robin suddenly said aloud, startling the swordsman. "Though only three were made. It is said Kitetsu the First was the strongest of the three, paled only in comparison to the O-Wasumono swords. With each generation of Kitetsu, the strength of each blade decreased, making the Kitetsu of the Third Generation the weakest of the line. The three Kitetsu's whereabouts are currently unknown, but it is agreed throughout the world that whoever owns one of the Kitetsu line shall be cursed, and before him lays only a path of destruction."

Robin stopped reading, casting a look to the swordsman. "I bet you didn't know I owned this book."

Zoro, who had drawn his own Kitetsu from his hamaraki and was staring at it intently, merely shrugged. "I'm not a reader."

"There are more books about the O-Wasumono," The historian continued, flipping a few pages. "I'm not sure what history you know of your blades, Kenshi-san, but it might do you some good to do your research."

**XXX**

"Oi! Zoro!"

Zoro blinked, opening his eyes slowly to see his captain's bandaged face only an inch from his. He jerked in surprise, hitting his head against the tall mast. Luffy laughed, holding his stomach. Zoro only groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "What?"

"Old chef guy says it's time to leave!" Luffy said between gasps. He stayed long enough to make sure Zoro wouldn't go back to sleep before launching himself across the length of the ship and disappearing into the kitchen.

Zoro stood from his position and stretched, throwing his arms high above his head and releasing a deep yawn. He looked to his right, but Robin had disappeared. He shook his head; he must have fallen asleep after their conversation the night before. Kitetsu's sheath was lying in the grass where it must have slipped from his hands during the night. Zoro knelt and picked it up, buckling it back into its normal spot.

"Zoro! What are you doing? Get in here!" He faintly heard Nami's voice calling him from somewhere near the kitchen.

Having just woken up, the swordsman dragged his feet all the way through the door, where he joined the other Straw Hats around the table. Sanji, or maybe Shawn, had put together a meager breakfast for the crew. It didn't matter which cook prepared it, for they both said the same thing; eating too much after long periods of starvation can kill you.

The Straw Hat pirates had changed clothes and showered, all of them now fairly clean. Luffy kept his shirt off so Chopper could check his wounds and replace his bandages. The swordsman noticed that the navigator kept her eyes averted, and he chuckled to himself. _Just realize it already,_ he thought to himself.

As the pirates and Revolutionary ate their meal, Franky, Shawn, and Nami revealed the plan.

Franky stood first. "This SUUUUPER plan requires everyone's expertise. The first trick is releasing the Sunny from her restraints; Usopp, that's your job. With your slingshot, from the deck, attack the ropes with your sphere-things. The Sunny will immediately fall into the water, at which time we will break out Channel 0, the Paddle-Wheel Sunny. Luckily, the marines left enough cola to for ten minutes of Paddle-Wheel and one Coup de Burst."

Nami took over from there. "Since the current through the tunnel flows toward us, using Channel 0 we can easily move against it. However, the tunnel turns. Robin, you'll use your hands to move torches across the walls for light and use your eyes to see sharp turns ahead." The historian nodded. "Franky will be switching the gears and steering. Robin, you tell Sanji-kun what's coming, and he'll tell it to Franky."

"Hai, Nami-swan!"

Zoro rolled his eyes.

"And everyone else will hold on tight," Chef Shawn threw in. "Once we leave the tunnel, it can be expected the marines will be waiting for us with battleships. At that point, we will use the Coup de Burst to get as far away from them as possible."

Zoro stood, slapping his hand on the table. "Wait a second. You had me until _we._ This bastard's coming with us?"

Nami sighed. "No, Zoro. We'll use him as a hostage. He'll be thrown overboard during the Burst."

"It should be about six o'clock in the morning now," The intruder chef continued. "It will be mostly under the cover of darkness, which means we gotta be out of here by eight. The sun will come up and we'll be found."

"Wait, we're leaving now?" Luffy asked, shrugging on a new vest.

Sanji nodded, flicking a cigarette. "We need to leave as soon as possible."

Luffy jumped from his seat, putting a confident hand on his heavily bandaged shoulder. Zoro had heard from Nami he'd been shot trying to protect her. Chopper must have removed the bullet. "Yosh!" The captain grinned widely. "We'll leave now!"

"Places!" Nami ordered.

Franky made his way to the front of the ship, gripping the handles of the wheel firmly. Robin stood at the helm, already blooming elegant arms from the walls as torch brackets. Sanji stood by her, trying to keep his lovey-dovey emotions under control. Zoro stood to the side, rolling his eyes. Luffy took his place on the masthead, holding his hat tightly to his head. Nami and Chopper stood on the balcony so they could have a good solid view. Usopp took a position by the railing, already aiming his special little Star attack things to the ropes.

"Fire!" Franky ordered.

"Hi no Tori Boshi!"

The ropes surrounding the Sunny burst into flame as the giant fire bird made contact. Within seconds they had been reduced to mere ash. Usopp scrambled back from the railing and raced to the other side, repeating the same move.

With the Sunny released, Franky grinned, changing the Soldier Dock System to Channel 0. Instantly, the ship began to rumble. From either side of the grand ship sprouted two paddle wheels, which immediately began to spin rapidly. The ship groaned against the hard rock, slowly moving forward and into the water.

Zoro was having doubts about this plan. The Paddle Wheel Sunny was known for its speed; would they be able to navigate safely through the darkness? They had the best navigator and the best shipwright in the world, so he probably shouldn't' be too worried.

The paddles hit the water with a splash. "Here we go!" Franky yelled out, and the Sunny suddenly barreled forward, the bow rising from the water.

"Left!" Robin called out. "Straight, keep steady! Righ-left! Straight! Left! Right! Sharp left!"

Sanji was having a hard time keeping up with Robin's directions. She shouted them almost instantly one after the other. The ship careened in every direction, throwing the Straw Hats in every direction.

"WAAAAH!" Luffy's voice cried out. Zoro could see his captain's arm stretch as his body was left behind, his hands barely gripping at the lion's mane.

Zoro put one hand over the other, slowly making his way to Robin's side. She couldn't afford to move from her spot, or her concentration would break. He took her elbow in his and steadied her whenever she stumbled. She would nod her head slightly as thanks.

The strategy continued this way for several minutes. Zoro didn't know how much longer this would go on; everyone was tired and desperately holding on for dear life. Finally, Nami shouted something that was lost in the crashing of the ship. Zoro barely managed to hear it:

"We're almost out!"

"Le-right!"

The Sunny jerked to the right. Robin lost her balance completely. She crashed into the swordsmen, and they fell to the deck, Robin sprawled across his stomach. The archaeologist quickly realized her position and moved quickly, allow the swordsman to sit up.

"Thank you, Zoro," she said.

Zoro only nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah."

"Light! I see light!" Luffy's cry broke through the hubbub, bringing the fallen crew roughly to their feet.

Light? Didn't the intruder chef say the sun hadn't come up yet? So why…?

Zoro's question was answered a millisecond later when Franky pulled up on the paddles, and the Sunny reduced its speed. It sped from the tunnel, emerging into a scene not one of the pirates wanted to be in.

The marines had completely surrounded the entrance to the tunnel. Six warships encompassed the entrance, their tall masts too tall to be cleared with a simple Coup de Burst. Aboard each ship stood roughly about a thousand men each, all armed with guns and swords. Cannons were locked and loaded, aimed straight at the miniaturized ship that had just emerged.

The pirates all converged at the front of the ship, their jaws quite literally hitting the deck. Chef Shawn stood behind them, stroking his fingers across his chin like he had a beard. "Well," he said simply. "This could be a problem."

**No, duh, you dumbass Revoluntionary!**

**And thus concludes the latest installment of **_**Escape**_** by Santoryuu3! I hope you all enjoyed it. But trust me; the story is not over yet! Not near enough LuNa for my liking! The relationship is gonna get a bit fluffy from here on out; there's probably only two to three chapters left to go on this story, so I plan to make them the best ones. Okay, I lied. Maybe four more, depending on how long I plan to make them. Don't hold your breath.**

**Also, if you happen to read the A/Ns at the beginning and end of every chapter (I commend those of you who do) I request that you please take a look at my profile and vote on my poll! I don't know why I'm thinking about the subject now, but I've been itching to do more! So vote, please.**

**Coming Up: Chapter 9 – Evasion**


	9. Evasion

**Sorry for the long wait, everyone! I tried desperately to get it done as quickly as possible, but with work and rehearsals and school starting soon and studying for my driver's test, I've had my hands full!**

**The flashback was completely made up. I just thought it would be the most adorable LuNa scene. Simple, but effective.**

**Warning: Twisty ending! Plot twist, what you wanna call it. No, you can't look. That's cheating. No meat for you.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I own One Piece. Wait, I take that back. I can never be as awesome as Oda.**

Chapter 9 – Evasion

Nami

A wind blew across the six giant warships surrounding the tiny pirate vessel that had just emerged from its mooring tunnel. The Straw Hat pirates all stood on the main deck of the Sunny, their jaws hitting the hard floorboards. The single non-pirate chef that stood behind them stroked the area around his mouth, pretending he had a beard.

"This might be a problem."

Immediately, Nami's voice broke the otherwise surprised silence with screams of partial rage and partial humiliation. She whipped around, grabbing the marine cook by the front of his shirt and shaking him back and forth so hard, his head flopped back and forth on his neck. His tall chef hat fluttered to the deck.

"Damn you, you lying cheating bastard! Just wait until we get out of here! I'll kick your whiney little ass!" The navigator said this all very fast and in one breath, making the sentence seem like one very long word.

Nami was forced to let go of the poor chef when Chopper, in his man-beast form, had to pry her away. While Chef Shawn gasped for breath, Nami collapsed dramatically to the deck, her eyes watering uncontrollably. "What the hell are we going to do?" Her voice choked. She could see Zoro simply wave it off, considering it another one of her tantrums. To hell with the guy. "We can't clear this with only one Coup de Burst! There are so many, I don't know what to do…" She burst into tears.

Someone put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it caringly. "It's okay," a voice said.

Nami didn't look up to see who it was, barely comprehending the voice. She merely sobbed, honestly having no idea in the world on what to do. With the entire freaking marine base in front of them, there was no physical way for them to escape. It was over.

Whoever was next to her stopped rubbing. They put both hands on either side of her face, lifting it so she would look them in the eye. Through blurry eyes, Nami instantly recognized the round, childish face, wide eyes, huge smile, and raven locks disappearing into his trademark straw hat. "Nami," Luffy grinned even wider. "Don't cry. I said I didn't ever want to see you cry again, and I meant it."

.

_Nami suddenly found herself back on the Going Merry, two days after leaving Cocoyashi village behind without worrying about who she might never see again. She stood leaning against the railing near the prow of the Merry, her hip cocked in a relaxed fashion, watching the waves break around the stern. She pushed a stray hair behind her ear as someone spoke behind her._

"_What'cha doin'?" Luffy asked, coming up beside her. He put his back to the wind, leaning his elbows on the rail and lazily crossing his legs at the ankle. Several messy bandages courtesy of Usopp encircled his right elbow and other various parts of his body. The brim of his straw hat rippled with the fast wind, and she watched it with interest. She could still feel the snug fit on her head, watching Arlong Park fall._

"_Nothing, really." Nami replied._

_Silence. The captain and navigator simply sat and enjoyed the other's company, which Nami found a bit strange. In the short time she had been with Luffy only as a temporary partner, she had always seen him as an out-going and crazy person without a care in the world. Now he seemed as if he was deep in thought, pondering the meaning of life. She chuckled silently to herself and turned back to watch the sea._

_They stayed that way for a bit longer before Luffy finally broke the tranquil silence._

"_Nami."_

_Only her name, but it held so much meaning in it. She couldn't quite place it, but the navigator could tell something was on his mind. She looked up again, watching stray hairs fly around his faraway eyes. "Hmm?"_

_Silence again. Then, "I don't ever want to see you cry again."_

_Nami started, standing straighter. "Cry?" She asked, confused._

_Luffy nodded. "Back then, when you were in the street, stabbing yourself. You were crying. I don't like seeing you cry. So don't ever do it again."_

_Nami looked down at her fingers curled around the rail. Thanks to her new tattoo, the scar was barely visible, but a tattoo can't hide the scar on her heart. Crying like that in front of a boy was not on her To Do list, but stuff happens. She had told herself, eight years ago, she would never cry again. Not like that. So much for that promise._

"_Nami?" Luffy said again, turning to face her. "Promise me you won't ever cry again."_

_Nami met her captain's gaze. His eyes didn't simply see her, standing in front of him, but _inside_ her, deep within her soul. They read her entire being, her thoughts and emotions. It was a kind of creepy sensation, so instead of meeting his eyes, she stared just over his left shoulder at the horizon._

"_I promise."_

_Maybe this time, I can keep it._

_._

Nami gasped, a small smile pulling at her lips. "I did promise, didn't I?"

Luffy nodded. "So stop crying."

He removed his hands from her face but remained squatting before her, watching with a careful eye as she wiped the tears from her face, replacing them with a confident smile. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Yosh!" Luffy stood, returning to his non-caring self. He stood by the giant lion's head, one hand gripping the mane tightly. "Here's the plan: we kick Marine ass!"

The crew cried out with vigor, all of them drawing their weapons. Nami pulled her Climatact from beneath her shirt, fitting the three poles into one long staff of danger. Zoro tied his bandanna around his head before drawing his three katana. Sanji put a leg on the rail and began to stretch. Usopp fit a Firebird Star into his Kabuto and aimed it toward the first warship. Franky couldn't do anything; he only had two bottles of cola he didn't want to waste. Brook drew his sword from the cane, his eye sockets darker than usual. Chopper transformed into his man-beast form, pounding a fist into his palm. Robin crossed her arms at the wrist gracefully, a sly smile on her face. Luffy, who seemed the most eager of them all, put a confident hand on his shoulder and began waving his arm back and forth to loosen up.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Chef Shawn said, scurrying between the pirates. "You can't honestly think of trying to fight them all, do you?"

Nami glared irritatingly at the old man, whacking him upside the head with her staff. "You get off this damn ship right now," she said coldly, using her best _cross-me-and-you'll-never-see-daylight-again_ voice. "And I don't want to see you ever again."

Chef Shawn squeaked. He groped for the side railing, gripping hard and catapulting himself into the water below. Nami watched until she at least made sure he survived before putting the shitty chef out of her mind.

"Straw Hat Luffy!" A voice boomed, coming from the direction of the marines. "Surrender now and we swear we won't kill you or your crew!"

Luffy didn't like that. "Shut up, bastards!" He yelled back, putting his thumbs to his ears and waving his fingers mockingly. To make it worse, he stuck out his tongue. "I'd like to see you try and stop me!"

"Very well. You have ten seconds before we sink you. Starting nine seconds ago. Eight… seven…"

"If we just take down those warship masts," Nami thought aloud to herself, loud enough for the others to hear. "We can Burst out of here."

"So that's all we gotta do, huh?" Zoro grinned, an expression similar of that to the devil. "Stay back, dartboard. I can do this myself."

"Funny, shit-head. You took the words right out of my mouth."

"Fine then, a competition. Whoever breaks the most ships wins."

"Ready, go!"

Zoro and Sanji immediately took off, springing from the main deck to the nearest warship. A second later, and yells could be heard from the vessel, small figures clad in white falling off the side. An explosion, and the main mast toppled over, crashing into the waves.

"Let's go, everyone!" Luffy shouted, throwing his fists into the air. The remaining crew shouted in agreement and rushed to their respective posts, jumping into the fray. As Nami ran past him toward her spot, Luffy grabbed her arm. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"At a time like this!"

The remaining warships opened fire, cannonballs flying toward the Sunny. "Usopp," Luffy said without turning around.

Usopp switched his Firebird for a Lead Star, hitting the cannonballs with deadly accuracy, deflecting them to either side. The ship was rocked violently as they hit the water. Nami closed her eyes to block out the sea spray, gasping as she suddenly lost her footing. Luffy steadied her, gripping her elbow. "Please? It's important."

Usopp and Franky fired back, disabling two marine cannons. "No, Luffy," Nami said, detangling herself from his arms. "I need to help us escape. So do you. When we're far away from here, then I'll listen." She smiled again.

Luffy pouted. "I'll hold you to that." He said, and launched himself with a Rocket onto a ship. In midair, Luffy's arm suddenly grew to the size of a giant, and he thrust it forward with the mighty yell of _"Giganto Pistole!"_

The entire ship crumbled under Luffy's attack, shattering to mere splinters. The men aboard screamed and topped into the water, trying desperately to either swim away or fire their weapons. Most swam away.

Someone grabbed her arm. "I got you now, pirate!" an unidentified voice said in her ear. A marine! Somehow, they appeared to have boarded the Thousand Sunny without anyone noticing.

"KYA!" She squealed, whacking him on the head with her Climatact.

Another marine didn't hesitate. He aimed his gun and pulled the trigger. Nami flinched, screaming out as the bullet entered her body, piercing her heart. She fell back with a gasp, a hand still clutching at her bloody chest. She collapsed to the deck, the light fading from her eyes.

The two marines high-fived one another. They were about to turn away when another of their comrades was blown away by one of Franky's attacks, and he stumbled into the body of the navigator. The body shimmered, as if it was made of simply air. It rippled a few times before vanishing.

Nami giggled. "Watch out for mirages," She said, cocking a hip and laughing as she watched the two marines whirl around, their mouths agape. "Thunder Tempo!" The cloud above their heads suddenly burst to life, electrocuting the two men instantly. They collapsed unconscious to the ground, their bodies steaming. Nami heaved them overboard and out of her way.

Another ship crumbled over the combined attack of Luffy and Sanji. Men cried out, followed soon by splashes. The warships continued their cannon fire, most of them being deflected by Usopp or cut in half by a perfectly executed strike of a katana.

It wasn't long before Nami suspected they finally had enough room to clear the ships. She screamed at the top of her lungs, calling her nakama back to the ship. "Oi! We're clear!"

Sanji heard her first. He appeared next to her, holding a miniaturized version of his captain on his back. The tinier Luffy sprung back to the deck, grinning wildly. Nami still had no idea why he shrunk after using his Gear Third. Chopper was still investigating.

Zoro appeared next, immediately confronting Sanji about destroying four hundred marines and two battleships. The two butted heads, Sanji bragging about eliminating six hundred marines and two and a half battleships. Zoro's amount suddenly increased to a thousand marines and ten warships, even though there were only six.

Chopper, Brook and Usopp arrived in suit, and Nami took a head count. All her crewmembers were present and accounted for, so she gave the signal for Franky to fire up the last remaining Coup de Burst.

Franky gave her an eager thumbs up.

"Take in the sails!" Nami ordered, punching the swordsman and cook in the heads.

"Suuuuper! Hold on tight!"

Franky released the Coup de Burst. The entire ship suddenly shot skyward, rocketing into the air. Nami squealed as she gripped painfully to the tree growing on deck. The other pirates were scattered around her, Luffy laughing his head off. He had already returned to normal size, and was holding his hat firmly to his head.

After the Sunny had sailed just over ten miles out from the marine fortress, it crashed into the ocean again, spraying the sea into the faces of the pirate passengers. Nami coughed as a few drops found their way into her throat. She winced at the foul salty taste.

"Lower the sails," She called, straightening up suddenly. "There's a huge gust coming!"

The Straw Hat pirates didn't hesitate to question their navigator. The sails went down, billowing out to full capacity as the gust Nami had predicted almost immediately collided with them. The ship rushed forward at about forty knots. The navigator waved her hair from her eyes, squinting at the horizon behind them. As she watched, the sun slowly began to peek out from the edge of the earth as if to say, _Today is another day; let's see if you'll survive!_ The morning light backlit the marine base, making it look to be solid black. By now, it was only a faint dark blotch against the ocean waves. She sighed in content.

It was over.

The wind died, and the Sunny resumed her normal speed. The pirates split up, each tending to their own special needs. Nami traded her ripped tee for a simple blue tanktop and traded her shorts for a temporary skirt. It wasn't one of her favorites; it had been on sale a few islands back.

As the Sunny sailed quickly away, Nami decided to locate her captain. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she felt the sudden need to talk to him, the same way she felt the wind a few minutes ago. It was a sort of aching in her bones, but then again, there really wasn't a way to describe the urge.

Oh, she just remembered. She didn't want to talk to him; _he_ wanted to talk to _her._ She wasn't sure about what exactly, but considering it was Luffy wanting to speak in private, it had to be something extremely important not involving food, or something deeply personal. Nami hoped it wasn't the latter.

She found Luffy at the back of the ship, watching the sun rise on the distant horizon. Nami stood next to him, leaning on the railing. He didn't appear to notice her, so the orange haired girl took advantage of her captain's rare silence and watched him for a while. _He really should get his injuries checked, _Nami thought to herself, running her eyes over his scarred forearms.

His wounds from his ordeal in prison weren't bleeding freely anymore, but his freshly-applied bandages were already stained red. His clothes were still in tatters, having not found a new vest within his closet earlier. The rest of the crew didn't fare so well, either, but Luffy was obviously the worst of all of them combined. Harsh torture comes with having a three hundred million beli bounty.

The marine stood for justice and the fair treatment of all the citizens of the world. But pirates were humans too, though some she considered to be a long shot. Why amuse themselves in the torture of human beings if they were only to be executed later? Why bother to beat a dead horse? _For pleasure,_ a small voice whispered in her head. _The government in corrupt; it's Robin's destiny to reveal that._ Nami shook the voice away.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji sang, jerking Nami from her reverie. She turned to see the blonde cook spinning to the front of the deck, his cigarette puffing out tiny hearts. "I have a meal for you! It's not large, since our stomachs probably shrank during our captivity and you can get food poisoning if you eat too much after starvation…"

"In a moment, Sanji-kun," Nami said.

"Food!" Luffy whipped around, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, Nami. Can you excuse us, Sanji?"

Sanji started, his expression clearly defining him as confused about his captain's polite tone. "Oh, uh… sure. Nami-swan, I'll keep your food warm!"

"Mine too!" Luffy cried.

"You'll eat yours cold if you have to!"

"You're so mean, Sanji."

"Don't take too long, Nami-swan!" Sanji departed, his cigarette continuing to puff.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Nami asked, going to stand next to Luffy. He nodded but said nothing, turning back to face the horizon. Nami watched him out of the corner of her eye. A soft wind blew his hat off his head, but it rested on his back quietly. The rising sun shone on his skin, making him appear to be glowing, despite his bedraggled appearance. A light flush colored Nami's cheeks.

When Luffy finally opened his mouth to speak, he said something Nami thought might never come out of his mouth. "Nami, are you happy?"

Nami started, confused. "Besides getting almost killed just now? Yes, I'm very happy. Why do you ask?"

"I'm glad that you're happy. I want to make you happier."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Nami was curious. These kinds of words were not the kind of things that came out of Luffy's mouth. All he talked about was food, being King of Pirates, food, kicking someone's ass, and food. Did she mention food?

"By—"

Luffy was cut off by Zoro shouting something from the crow's nest. Luffy looked at Nami for a moment before using his Gomu Gomu Rocket to launch himself to the top of the ship. The navigator watched him fly off, wondering what on earth he wanted to say. Luffy wasn't exactly the predictable type.

"What was that, Zoro?" Luffy's faint voice drifted down to the other Straw Hats, who had gathered in the grassy field below.

"The marines are in front of us!" Zoro pointed out the window, and true to his word, four more marine battleships had appeared a few hundred yards ahead.

"Man, these guys are persistent," Usopp muttered, voicing pretty much everyone's thoughts.

"Prepare for battle!" Luffy leaped back to the deck, alerting everyone to the situation. "The marines have cut us off! We're going to need to bust through!"

"We don't have any cola left," Franky said. "It was all confiscated. The little amount we had already stored got us out of the last incident."

"Then we'll fight again." Sanji said, lighting a fresh cigarette.

"Everyone to the front of the ship!"

Five minutes later, the entire Straw Hat crew stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the prow of the Thousand Sunny, glaring in the direction of their natural enemies. The marine ships drew nearer, and Luffy could see the cannons preparing to fire. "Get ready…" he said.

The cannons fired, and twelve mortars careened in their direction. "Go!" Luffy shouted, and the Straw Hats leapt into action.

Nami's heart raced with something she didn't understand. Anticipation for the upcoming battle? Fear of being mauled? Curiosity for what Luffy tried to say? Anger for the marines interrupting their perfectly normal conversation? The navigator couldn't place it, but she sure as hell was going to find out.

Luffy

Luffy was the first to attack. He stretched across to the nearest battleship and settled himself on their mast, grinning wildly down at the men below. "Shishishishi! You marines are getting on my nerves. Why can't you leave us alone?"

"Fire!" the marines below ignored the pirate and began to shoot their rifles. Luffy dodged some, and deflected others. Some of the bullets burst into sea stone nets. Those were harder to dodge, more often he barely skimmed the edges.

"Gear Third," Luffy said, and blew into his thumb. His fist expanded to the size of a giant, blocking out the rising sun and shrouding the ship in darkness. He held it over the vessel on which he stood, smiling down at the panicking marines below. The fist retracted, and the entire ship was blown to bits as it was crushed beneath Luffy's giant attack.

Luffy laughed to himself. He could feel the familiar feeling of all the air suddenly gathering in his stomach, and he wrapped his arms around the still-standing mast so he wouldn't get blown away. He gave a huge burp, and a tornado of sorts released itself from his throat, blowing the rest of the splintered ship away.

Luffy had lost his grip on the mast and was currently flying all about in the sky, air still exiting his body. He knew he was completely empty when his muscles suddenly froze slightly as they shrunk, reducing him to nearly a third of his normal size. Suddenly, Luffy felt something wrap around his body, entangling his tiny limbs. The object stung; he looked down to see a bolas wrapped around his torso.

"Dammit," Luffy muttered, his voice much higher and squeakier than usual. He could feel the strength ebbing from his body, slowly sapping his life force. The weights must be fused with sea prism stone. All strength left his body, and Luffy fell backward, into the ocean, unseen by anyone but the grinning marine floating in the water.

**I know. Sucky chapter. I actually had this story originally planned for post-time skip, but then I thought, **_**With Haki, it'd be pretty much impossible to be captured that easily in the night by marines… pre-time skip it is!**_** I also already had this chapter in an EXTREMELY rough draft form, and of course, it was post-time skip based. So I had to go back and change and edit everything. Which makes this chapter seem really really choppy, and I don't feel like rewriting the whole thing. Yep. #Laziness.**

**I also tried looking up the maximum length the Coup de Burst can go, but I couldn't find it, so I just made it up. Maybe I'll change it later if one of you knows.**

**A bolas is one of those little lasso-things used by the Indians to entangle the legs of their prey. It's a rope with two stone balls attached at the end (in the OP world, these balls would probably be Sea Prism Stone, as is the case with Luffy). There's an example of its use in the Avatar movie (blue-cat people) right as Jake Sulley is taken captive by the Na'vi.**

**Sooo…. What do you think? R&R!**

**Coming Up: Chapter 10 - Restoration**


	10. Restoration

**You're welcome for actually putting the phrase "update soon" to good use. I know I just posted the last chapter a few days ago, but I really really wanted to write this chapter because honestly, I love it. I was so excited; I quite literally went: post chapter 9 *scurries off to write chapter 10* Eeps, I'm getting shivers. Fingers a blur over the keyboard.**

**This chapter is 100% LuNa fluffy-ness. I kind of strayed from their personalities a bit, but it was necessary to make it work. Only one more chapter after this, I think. I know only eleven chapters seems short, but I also ****kind of**** want to just finish up and get back to Reunion. XD And I have another story after that for everyone to enjoy, that one will take a while. Well, I take that back. I have two stories. One of them is in the poll on my page, the other not.**

**In this chapter, you'll learn how to do CPR Chopper/Nami-style. ;) So, R&R!**

Chapter 10 - Restoration

A loud splash reached the Straw Hat navigator through all the commotion of the ensuing battle. Marines had invaded the Thousand Sunny and were currently trying to take it over. Only she, Robin, and Franky remained on board the pirate vessel, fending off the wave of enemies.

She had just finished electrocuting a couple of men when she heard it. At first, she mistook it for another cannonball hitting the sea, but she looked up anyway. Near a mostly destroyed ship, she caught a glimpse of a straw hat before it vanished beneath the waves. Her heart began to beat painfully fast. This was very bad.

She turned on her heel and raced below decks, not bothering to even beat the marines about the head for following her. Nami was too preoccupied in her rescue mission than to deal with a couple of annoying marines. She passed Robin on her way down, and was pleased to see the historian was holding her own in protecting the Coup de Burst engine.

"Luffy fell into the water!" Nami yelled above the din of men crying out after having their spines snapped. "I'm going to take the Shark Submerge and rescue him! Tell everyone!"

Robin nodded. "Hurry!"

Nami leapt into corresponding gear, and opened the hatch to the submarine. She dropped inside the giant metal shark and made herself mildly comfortable in the seat. She was about to open the door to release the submarine when she suddenly realized she hadn't turned the gears on the ship to Channel Three. The Shark wouldn't be able to leave the ship! Dammit!

She hung her head in her hands, fingers gripping at her hair. How could she be so careless! Now she would have to run all the way to the wheel and turn the Channel and come all the way back down here, all the while fighting off more marines. By that time, Luffy would already be so deep into the ocean it would be near impossible to see him. Nami cursed her bad luck and stood, opening the hatch again to leap out.

Suddenly, the ship began to shake, and the floor began to rotate as it moved to Channel Three. Nami smiled and made a silent thank you to Robin. She closed the Shark Submerge's hatch and set the sub into diving mode, moving under the water, through the door and into the ocean.

Nami flipped on the headlights and turned on the viewer. She looked through the eyepiece and steered toward the remains of the ship Luffy had destroyed. She could see various pieces of wreckage floating around, taking cautious measures to avoid them. _He has to be somewhere around there. I saw him fall about six minutes ago. Luffy sinks at about ten feet a minute, so he would be about sixty feet under by now; that's practically twenty meters. His rubber body should protect him from the water pressure, but he won't last much longer! To make it worse, he's in his shrunken form again; he'll be harder to spot. Shit!_

Nami steered the submarine deeper. She watched for about fifteen minutes, her anxiety growing. Luffy's oxygen supply had to have run out by now. She had to hurry, or she'd be too late. She dove deeper, the visibility decreasing tremendously.

A large piece of driftwood was dragged away by a current, revealing a familiar flash of a red vest. She turned toward it quickly, and as she drew closer, she could slowly make out the limp body of her captain, returned to normal size. His arms were pinned to his sides with some sort of rope weapon, his left leg entangled as well. His eyes were rolled back in his head, mouth gaping open, and hair like flying seaweed.

She glanced at the pressure gauge. _It's not that bad, but no other human besides a rubber man can survive that. Even if I could, I can't open the hatch underwater._

Nami maneuvered her way toward her captain, diving deeper below him. Looking through the eyepiece, she watched as Luffy's limp body settled on the roof of the small sub. "Alright!" Nami whispered, changing gears. With a hum, the submarine began to rise from the depths slowly, supporting the Straw Hat captain.

With a splash, the Shark Submerge broke the surface of the ocean. From what Nami could see out of the port hole window, the battle had ceased. The marines had retreated, and she could faintly see dark figures moving on the deck of the Sunny. "Good, they made it."

Nami stepped into the sunlight, squinting her eyes to the sudden light. She gripped her captain by his shirt and pulled him inside the submarine, laying him gently on the metal floor. She submerged the shark once again to avoid any unknown attacks, putting it into neutral as she desperately began to fiddle with the weapon that bound Luffy.

After a few minutes, the Den Den Muchi began to ring. "Balladaballadaballada,"

Nami reached out a hand and held the receiver to her mouth, using her other remaining hand to disentangle Luffy's leg. His entire body flopped around like a fish out of water, scaring Nami senseless. "Hello?"

"NAMI-SAN!" Sanji's voice exploded. The tiny snail that represented the caller's face began to cry. "ARE YOU OKAY!"

"Shut up, idiot," Usopp's voice said. "There's no need to yell."

"Yeah, I'm alright," Nami said, grinning as she completely removed the last rope. "I've got Luffy, too. He fell into the ocean."

"Robin-chwan told us the story," Sanji said, his voice now slightly calmer. "What's the status?"

"Well…" Nami's voice was hesitant. "He's not moving…"

"I meant you, Nami-san."

"Shut up and give the damn snail to me," Zoro's voice. "Oi, Nami. How's Luffy?"

"He's not moving, not breathing… CHOPPER! Tell me what to do!" Nami struggled to contain the fear in her voice.

The sounds of the snail being passed and the tiny doctor's voice spoke. "Nami, can you hear me?"

"Yes. I would return to the ship and let you do it, but I'm afraid…"

"It's alright, Nami. Okay, here are the basics. Pinch his nose and tilt his head back." Nami did as she was instructed, holding Luffy's chin up to the ceiling. "Make sure his mouth is open and put your cheek near it, keeping an eye on his chest for any breathing. Tell me if you feel anything."

Nami leaned down, conscious of how close she was to his unmoving body. She kept his cheek practically against his lips as she waited impatiently. Her eyes on his chest detected no movement, and no breath escaped his lips.

Nami began to panic. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," she whispered quickly, putting a hand on his chest just to be sure. She couldn't even feel a heartbeat. "Nothing!"

"Chest compressions, then." Chopper instructed.

"I know how to do that," Nami's voice strained as she returned her captain's head to its normal state. She placed her hands one over the other just above where Luffy's heart would be, keeping her arms perpendicular and elbows locked. She pressed down hard, biting her lip. The stretchy substance his body was made of didn't appear to allow the full power of a compression to take effect.

"How's it going?"

"No-nothing!"

Nami continued pumping, glancing toward Luffy's unconscious face. She had no idea why she was panicking so hard. There were plenty of times where Luffy had fallen into the ocean before, and he had obviously survived. But she had never been the one to actually do the saving before, and now she was burdened with the idea that if Luffy died, it would be her fault because she couldn't save him in time.

"Nami, this is what you need to do next."

Nami listened intently, continuing compressions.

"Mouth-to-mouth."

Nami froze, her hands trembling. "Wait… what?"

"GAAAH YOU SHITTY DOCTOR! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY MOUTH TO MOUTH!" Sanji's voice roared. "NAMI-SAN HAS TO KISS HIM!"

"No, no, no!" Chopper insisted. "Kissing is not the same as mouth to mouth! Unless there's a mouth guard aboard the Shark Submerge, she'll have to…" the reindeer's voice faltered. "Blow… into his mouth… to get air to his lungs so he'll cough up the water he inhaled."

"BUT THEIR LIPS WILL TOUCH!"

"Sanji-kun," Nami said quietly.

The voices in the background ceased, waiting to hear what the orange haired navigator had to say. The silence dragged on.

"It's okay," she said, releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as feeling returned to her limbs. "If it's for our captain."

"Wait, Nami-san! Come back to the ship!" Sanji's voice was pleading.

"Three times," Chopper told her. "Then ten chest compressions."

Nami didn't listen to the irate cook. One again she pinched Luffy's nose, tilting up his chin. She looked down into her captain's face, realizing just for a hormonal moment how good-looking he was, even when soaked in sea water and covered in blood.

She leaned down, inhaling sharply. She hovered just above Luffy's face for a moment, her eyes squeezed tight before letting it down in one hard swoop.

His mouth tasted of salt and something suspiciously like steak. Though only just removed from the freezing ocean waters, his lips were soft and warm, which the navigator took for a good sign. Nami released the breath, blowing as hard as she could.

She opened her eyes, only really wanting to see if his chest move, but she found herself instead staring at his face, barely visible out of the corner of her vision. His expression hadn't changed: closed eyes, relaxed muscles, looking to be almost sleeping which Nami knew was not true; Luffy snored.

She released herself from her captain, breathing hard. She prepared herself, giving his lungs another breath, and another. With each breath, something within her body grew warmer. Nami's brain tried to tell her _This is your first kiss!_ She pushed it away, not really counting it since the person she was… giving mouth to mouth to… he was unconscious.

Ten compressions. One, two, three…

Nami could feel something moving beneath her fingers; whether it was a breath or a heartbeat or the water resurfacing Nami couldn't tell, so she began compressing harder.

A minute passed, during which Chopper asked for an update.

"He's coughed up a little water," Nami reported, going in again for breaths. As she connected her lips to his, Luffy's body suddenly convulsed. Nami squealed, dropping his head and shuffling back a few feet. From her captain's mouth emerged a fountain of sea water, dousing the navigator. Nami raised her hands to her face to block the fluids. She couldn't help but feel disgusted; had she reacted a second later, her mouth would have been… eaugh!

When she looked again, Luffy was coughing violently, excreting the last bits of liquid from his lungs. Small drops slid down his chin, mixed with a little blood. His fingers were clutching at the hard steel of the sub, finding nothing to hold on to. His back arched slightly, releasing another wave of sea water. Nami could've sworn she saw a fish in there.

A minute passed, and Luffy returned to what was considered resolutely normal, opening his eyes and rubbing his arm across his mouth. "Ah? Where am I?"

"In the Shark Submerge," Nami said, drawing her captain's attention.

Luffy looked at her, blinking slowly like his muddled brain was slowly trying to grasp what was happening. Finally, he said, "Why does my mouth taste like cherries?"

Nami's eyes widened to the size of Luffy in his Fuusen form. She sucked her lips, wishing she hadn't applied that cherry-flavored lip gloss earlier. "I-I don't know."

"Hmm." Luffy rubbed his lips together, his expression thoughtful. "Tastes kinda good. I didn't know I liked cherries."

"OI! NAMI-SAN! WHAT IS GOING ON!"

"Shut up, ero-cook."

"Go to hell, snot-head."

"Ah! It's the guys!" Luffy lunged for the receiver Nami hadn't realized she'd dropped, holding close. "Hey!"

"Oh, Luffy." Zoro's voice sounded half relieved and half annoyed. "You're awake."

"Did I fall asleep?"

"In the ocean. Nami went to get you."

"Really?" Luffy looked to the nervous navigator, who was still trying to suck the last bit of gloss from her lips. He flashed her a toothy smile. "Thanks, Nami."

She nodded.

Chopper's voice suddenly entered the conversation. "Nami, bring in the sub. I want to give Luffy a full check up, especially after the mou – "

Something hit the ground hard, letting out a small cry. "Ah-haha! The… uh, mou-mount- mountain climbing! Yeah, phew, that was rough work." Sanji laughed nervously.

Luffy's expression was a mix between confused and excited. "Yosh. We'll be right up." Luffy placed the receiver back into its spot, cutting off connections. He sat in silence for a moment, his knees tucked up against his chest, his eyes thoughtful.

Nami, certain now she had gotten rid of all her lip gloss, stood up shakily and began fiddling with the controls, forcing herself not to look at her captain. The fabric of his clothes squished as he moved, coming up to stand directly behind her. Nami's cheeks flooded, and she tried desperately to look natural.

"Nami," Luffy said quietly. "Thanks."

"You don't have to thank me, I was just, you know, saving your life and everything. Chest compressions really take a lot out of ya…"

"Not for that."

Nami turned, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, though in her mind was in overdrive, practically screaming that he had been awake during the whole revival process. She took a step back, realizing just how close he was. "What for?"

"I made you happier."

Nami didn't exactly know how to reply to that. She simply averted her eyes and began to steer the sub back in the direction of the Thousand Sunny. The captain and navigator were silent, Luffy watching the sea drift by outside the window.

The Channel 3 door remained open, and Nami steered the steel shark into the dock. She made to open the hatch, but Luffy grabbed her hand to stop her.

Nami looked down at him, slightly annoyed. "Luffy, what…?" She stumbled from the ladder as he pulled her down to be at eye level. "Can you plea—mmmph!"

The captain and navigator stood lip-locked in the dark submarine, his hands firmly but gently around her forearms. Nami's heart beat a mile a minute; for all she knew, her ski n was as red as Gear Second. Spasms raced up and down her spine, but for some reason it was a good feeling, and she didn't want them to stop. Her hands, which were pressed into his shoulders in a half-attempt to push him off, relaxed and wrapped around the back of his neck.

The two stayed that way for a minute, before Luffy finally pulled back, a wide grin spreading literally from ear to ear.

"Yep. Cherries."

**Believe it or not, but I've never kissed anyone before (it takes a lot of courage to do that) so I'm not sure if I got the emotional part right. However, based on assumptions made by reading other books and films, I think I'm pretty damn close. But that may just be because of the fact that I've been staring at that paragraph for the past ten minutes trying to figure out if it's good.**

**Ah well, R&R and prepare thyself for the final chapter hopefully to be released this Saturday. (If not, late Sunday night. Thursday is our opening night for our play (it's called 13) and I've got two shows a day through Sunday night. Wish me luck; I'll be writing the next chapter on paper during intermission. Yes, paper and pencil. XD)**

**Coming Up: Chapter 11 – Completion (The Final Chapter)**


	11. Completion

**So I got Friday off of work thanks to our **_**fantastic**_** opening night last night, so I found the time to write up what I had gotten during Intermission and throw in a little more. How awesome is that?**

**I am sorry to report this is the final chapter of **_**Escape**_** by Santoryuu3. Before we go on, I want to thank every single one of you who have stuck by me this entire time, reviewing practically every chapter. It means more to me than you'll ever know. Thanks you guys! I really appreciate your dedication to the story, and I hope you'll continue to follow my other fics and support me. **

**On that (happy?) note, please enjoy the final chapter of **_**Escape.**_

Chapter 11 – Completion

Sanji was livset, which was Zoro's word for _livid_ and _upset _at the same time. There was just no other way to describe the stupid cook, who was currently occupying himself in a corner pulling at his bangs, biting through his cigarette with shark-like teeth, and still managing to cry waterfalls. Doing his own little thing in his own little corner of the universe.

Of course, the cook hadn't been livset the entire time. At first, he and his crewmates, minus the captain and navigator, were holed up in the kitchen, gathered around the huge table. Even Robin listened intently to the conversation going on between Chopper and Nami, her expression intrigued. Zoro had no idea what was going on inside the woman's head, and he didn't want to.

"Nami, here's what you have to do. Mouth-to-mouth." The little reindeer instructed.

Sanji, who had been watching the snail imitate Nami's expressions with a lovesick aura, suddenly exploded in such a way, the Big Bang would be put to shame. A blur of black and yellow as the young cook leapt to his feet, his eyes burning with a fiery passion. Zoro could practically see the gears turning in his head, putting two and two together.

In huge steps, the cook circled the table and held Chopper in his puny hands, shaking the poor creature back and forth. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY MOUTH TO MOUTH YOU SHITTY DOCTOR! MY BEAUTIFUL GODDESS NAMI-SAN HAS TO KISS HIM!?" With every word, ero-cook's anger multiplied, by Zoro's guess, fourteen thousand eight hundred trillion. But then, the swordsman was never really good at math. So maybe it was fifteen hundred million trillion, eighty-four hundred? Times two. In other words, a lot.

Once Sanji's frantic ramblings had been stilled by arms growing out of his chest to release the tiny doctor, courtesy of Robin, Chopper tried explaining through exhausted gasps.

"No, no, no! Kissing is not the same as mouth to mouth! Unless there's a mouth guard aboard the Shark Submerge, she'll have to…" the reindeer's voice faltered. "Blow… into his mouth… to get air to his lungs so he'll cough up the water he inhaled."

Chopper's explanation fell on deaf ears, because Sanji was still focused on one thing. "BUT THEIR LIPS WITH TOUCH!"

"Sanji-kun," Nami's voice spoke through the transponder snail, so quiet Zoro barely heard it. After shouting as loud as he could to get the dumbass to shut up, Zoro held up the receiver so everyone could hear. "It's okay." The snail heaved a sigh. "If it's for our captain."

Sanji snatched the receiver from the swordsman's hand, holding it to his mouth. "Wait, Nami-san! Come back to the ship!" Sanji's voice was so full of pain, Zoro _almost_ felt sorry for him. The operative word being 'almost.'

Franky stood up suddenly from his seat, a wild glint in his eye. Usopp noticed the glint and began shaking his head furiously back and forth as if to tell Franky that whatever the hell he was thinking, _don't do it._ The shipwright either didn't notice the signal or ignored it. He left the kitchen to return a few seconds later with a screen of some sort, connected by another Den Den. Usopp's eyes widened, tripping over himself to stand behind Zoro, who bonked him on the head with Kitetsu's hilt.

"What is that?" Brook asked curiously, running a skeletal finger across the screen.

"Usopp and I bought a super video transponder snail on the last island," The shipwright explained, working with wires and other mechanical mumbo jumbo. "I hooked it up to a camera inside the Shark Submerge, so we'll be able to watch!" He said all this very quietly, so as to not alert the passengers of said Shark Submerge to his plan.

Usopp merely whimpered. "Franky… don't…. please?"

The marksman was getting on Zoro's nerves. Although the swordsman didn't want to admit it, h wanted to watch as well. He had been noticing the signs for some time now, starting mostly after Arlong Park back in the East Blue, and possibly even before then. He wasn't stupid; Zoro noticed the glances she stole, how he tended to stand a little closer to her. It was obvious to anyone who was watching.

Sanji whipped around, his eyes glued to the scene that was slowly coming into focus on the screen. The pirates gathered around, all looking with interest. Luffy was lying on his back, limbs dangling limply at his side. Nami was kneeling next to him, her hands on his chest. As the crew watched, she slowly moved to tilt the raven-haired boy's chin up to the ceiling.

"Three times," Chopper spoke into the regular Den Den. "Then ten chest compressions."

Sanji began chewing on the collar of his shirt as he watched Nami slowly lean down, hesitating for a moment before finally, their lips made contact.

That was when the stupid ass became livset. He collapsed into a corner, poking at his new mushroom garden with a spatula, the depressed air around him stifling. Zoro had to force himself not to laugh as he watched the navigator perform CPR. She moved on to compressions again, and if he looked closely enough, you could see her face slowly turning bright red.

Suddenly, Luffy convulsed, and Nami scrambled backward, hitting her head on the control panel. Luffy coughed a few times, slowly sitting up. The entire Straw Hat crew, including Sanji who by this time had finally gotten over his fifteen-second depression, breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Luffy's mouth began to move, but the video transponder snail didn't appear well used enough to pick up sound. Sanji lunged for the regular Den Den, practically shoving Usopp from his chair. "OI! NAMI-SAN! WHAT IS GOING ON!"

Shit! That damn bastard was going to give away that they had video feed! Zoro gave the stupid dumbass a good punch on the arm. "Shut up, ero-cook."

Sanji glared daggers. "Go to hell, snot-head."

"It's the guys!" Luffy's voice rang through the receiver. On the screen, they could see him reach for their own Den Den. "Hey!"

Zoro took control of the conversation. "Oh. Luffy." He tried to make his voice sound as normal as possible, to not give away that he and the rest of the crew knew exactly what was going on in there. "You're awake."

"Did I fall asleep?"

"In the ocean. Nami went to get you."

Chopper crawled up on the table, motioning for the swordsman to hand over the Den Den. "Nami, bring in the sub. I want to give Luffy a check up, especially after the mou – "

Faster than a striking snake, Sanji sent the doctor flying across the room. Zoro was starting to feel bad for the little reindeer. He was saved by a few hands blooming from the wall to catch the doctor, lowering him slowly to the floor. You couldn't expect anything less than that from a lovesick bastard. "Ah-haha! The… uh, mou-mount- mountain climbing! Yeah, mountain climbing."

_Seriously, mountain climbing?_ Zoro smirked to himself. _Usopp could lie better than that._

"Yosh! We'll be right up."

Zoro nearly fell out of his chair, sweat-dropping at his captain's incompetence. Video-feed Luffy replaced the receiver on their end of the line and went to stand by Nami, who had retaken control over herself and was maneuvering the submarine back in their direction.

"Damn you, Luffy! You're way too close to my Nami-san!" Sanji's face was practically pressed against the screen. "When you get back here I'll kick your ass!"

The Shark Submerge pulled back into the dock, reconnecting again with the Thousand Sunny. Franky was about to cut the line when Robin suddenly intervened. "Wait, Franky. Look…"

Every pirate in the room watched with growing curiosity at Luffy, who had suddenly taken Nami by the arm, preventing her from leaving. Stunned silence as the two became pressed against one another again, mouths connecting in a single passionate kiss.

Zoro cast a glance at the cook, surprised to find Sanji appearing to not react at all, simply staring at the scene as if in a trance. Like he couldn't believe this was actually physically happening. Right now. On the ship. Below his feet. _Right now_. He began chewing on his shirt again.

When they finally broke apart, Nami looked flustered and a bit surprised, but happy. Luffy had a huge grin on his face as he spoke a few words. The poor navigator's hand instantly flew to her mouth, and Luffy laughed again. He took the lead to exit the submarine, out of the view of the video transponder snail.

Just before Nami disappeared, she looked down, staring directly at the screen. She squinted as if trying to figure out if that snail had been there the whole time, and finally vanished from view.

The entire Straw Hat crew exchanged looks, horrified looks. Nami had seen the video Den Den. If she found the screen, there was no way in hell anyone on board would make it out alive. Except Robin. And maybe Luffy. But the other boys…. Zoro didn't even want to think about that.

As one, the inhabitants of the kitchen scrambled to hide the video Den Den and its television, cramming them into a cabinet below the sink. Sanji yelled at Usopp to be careful, but the flustered teen was too busy saving his own hide to worry about the plumbing.

Footsteps could be heard outside.

"Act natural!" Brook said, striking a random pose with one hand behind his head and the other on his cocked hip. He plastered a huge smile on his face as the knob turned, and Luffy burst through the door, waving like nothing had happened.

"Hey, guys! Oh, wow! That looks like fun!" The captain stood by the skeletal musician, striking his own dramatic pose like a kung fu master. They were soon joined by Usopp and Chopper in Heavy Point, all forming random shapes like they were posing for a photo. Zoro rolled his eyes.

Luffy was followed quickly by Nami, who still had a light hand against her mouth as if trying to hide a smile, watching the four boys pose.

Zoro watched her, smiling slightly. _It's about time._

"Well, what are you all standing there for?" Nami said, her expression growing angry. "Lower the sails and set our course for the next island. Oh, Zoro. Can you please get that television out from under the sink? Sanji needs his space." She turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen, leaving the crew in stunned silence.

"How the hell…?" Zoro whispered, staring at Franky.

The shipwright shrugged, completely at a loss for words.

"OI, blockheads! We need to get out of here before reinforcements show up!"

"Hai, Nami-san, my sweet and adorable goddess!" Sanji noodled his way to the deck, a happy-go-lucky smile on his dorky face.

"Oi, Sanji! Food first!"

"Nami always comes before food!"

Robin chuckled. "Nami, food, and shadows," she said, referencing Luffy's to-do list on Thriller Bark.

The Straw Hats filed out of the room. Zoro remained put, his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. He suddenly felt light headed, and he knew it was not because of blood loss, unless he accidentally cut himself sitting down. Love-cook would never let him live that down.

"Zoro-san?" Robin's soft voice asked, sitting down next to him.

He opened one eye and stared at her through a space between his fingers. "Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" She asked, concern in her voice. "You look pale."

Zoro shrugged. "I'm alright. Still recovering, I guess."

"You'd recover faster if you kept your bandages on."

"It's hard to move in them. I can't train properly."

The two nakama were silent for a bit. Finally, Robin leaned over and spoke quietly in the swordsman's ear, whispering the secret she, Zoro, Sanji, and a select few random pirates liberated from Thriller Bark knew about.

He jerked, staring at her incredulously. "Who told you about that?"

Robin smiled her mysterious smile. "I have my ways."

"You eavesdropped, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

The historian shrugged. "All in all, it was a valiant act. Men with that kind of pride make excellent parents."

She stood and left the room, leaving Zoro staring blankly at the floor between his feet. "Damn woman…" he muttered. No matter how easily he could read his captain and navigator, the archaeologist was a closed book. He will never understand women.

**XXX**

A day passed since the escape. The Straw Hats were recovering at a remarkable speed; even Luffy's cuts were already healed and his appetite had not wavered. His share of meals were as large as ever, and possibly even more so. Not that he cared. Meat was meat.

Now he sat in his favorite spot on the figurehead, staring out at the open horizon, noshing on a sea king shish-ke-bob. The water broke around the hull of the Sunny-Go, splashing lightly into his face. The sun was bright on his skin, sparkling off the breaking waves. He smiled; this definitely was his favorite spot.

"Luffy?"

The captain turned and smiled at the orange haired girl that stood behind him, looking down at her shoes nervously. Even if he wasn't as good with women as Sanji was, he still knew exactly what she was thinking about.

"Um… "

"I like you," He said, interrupting her and sliding down from his spot.

"Well, of course," she said. "We're nakama. But that's –"

"No."

Luffy spoke with confidence, but was a bit confused at Nami's reaction. Her expression was hurt, and she took a step back. "No what?"

"We're not nakama anymore."

"What the hell do you mean, Luffy!" Nami's voice was strained, trying to keep from crying. "You want me to leave? After all we've been through?"

Luffy shook his head. "You misunderstand. We're _more_ than nakama."

The navigator stepped back, confused. "More?"

"I like you. A lot. Like…. Um…" Luffy scratched his head, trying to find the right words.

Nami appeared to finally understand the confession. She laughed and moved in, giving her captain a peck on the lips. "I think the word you're looking for is _love._"

Luffy grinned, pulling her in for another kiss. The captain hadn't really ever kissed anyone, not really finding romance all that interesting. At least, not when he first started out. Over the last month had he really begun to realize how pretty Nami was. When the two finally separated, he stared into her eyes with an unusually straight face and said, "I _love_ you, Nami."

Nami seemed confused at the fact he actually said it. She must have thought he was joking. Well, he wasn't. He wrapped his rubber arms around her waist multiple times, pulling her loser to his body in a tight hug. As they embraced, he whispered into her ear, "You know I never lie."

**The literal meaning of the word **_**nakama**_** actually means the closest relationship you can have with someone without it being romantic. More than friends, more than family, but not lovers. So what Luffy is saying that he and Nami aren't nakama, they're romantically involved now. I'm not sure if that made any sense, so I thought I'd clarify. If I got it wrong, I'll go back and fix it. Yup.**

**The "act natural" scene was kind of an inside joke between me and a friend: we were... watching stuff we really shouldn't be watching at my place while my parents were out (this was a few months ago) and we heard my parents coming in the house. So we turned off the TV and my friend whispered "ACT NATURAL!" to throw off suspicion. So we both posed similar to Brook when my mom and dad walked in like WTH? Anyway... It was one of those you-had-to-be-there moments.**

**Thus concludes **_**Escape**_**. I hope you have enjoyed your ride. You may now disembark this train and receive your free tickets to board the **_**Reunion**_** roller coaster.**

**Again, I want to thank everyone for your awesome reviews, and unyielding support. Thank you, have a great day.**

**This is Santoryuu3, signing off.**


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